A Chance Meeting in the Rain
by Grinning Fox
Summary: Sometimes new beginnings occur face down in a puddle in a back alley. For Tatsuki Arisawa, that's exactly how a man falls into her life, but how will this affect Soifon, Yoruichi, and her own life? The Winter War is over, but emotions are heating up.
1. A Chance Beginning

**Setting: The story takes place after the Winter War by about eight months or so.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this story as they are the property of Bleach, Tite Kubo, ect. BUT! But, I do own two: Kenshin Takeda and Tetsu Kiba.**

**Hopefully you enjoy and depending on how this does I'll likely continue posting the chapters :D**

**Chapter 1: A Chance Beginning

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"What?" Soifon stared at the messenger in complete shock and disbelief. "The hell do you mean he's missing?"

"I'm sorry commander, but in the midst of the attack we lost track of Captain Takeda. We attempted his soul pager but he didn't respond, commander."

Kenshin…her pupil who she felt protective over was missing? Something had to have happened as a captain doesn't just go missing by their own accord. If he had been fine after the attack he would have returned back to the Soul Society or called for medical support should he need it.

"Track his pager and find him damnit!"

"As you command, Force Commander." The messenger vanished, leaving a perplexed and worried Soi Fon. Just where could he be?

**/\/\/\/\**

Face first in a puddle in a back alley in the human world.

It was raining and the unconscious captain was already soaked. People walked by the alley without so much a glance for none would have even seen the spirit being. His zanpakutö was unsheathed and held tightly in the grip of his right hand while his uniform looked tattered; which wasn't a surprise.

The captain's current state had been brought on by a Hollow attack that had been quietly coordinated by a group of adjuchas. It was extremely rare of adjuchas to bother coming to the human world since they had to feast on Hollows in order to maintain themselves, but it wasn't unheard of for adjuchas to come and fatten up Hollows or to find earth-bound souls to make them into Hollows.

Initially things had gone smoothly for the captain and the small team he had with him, but once the adjuchas revealed themselves that was when things went south quickly. In an effort to protect his squad members he had lured the adjuchas away but in doing so left himself with overwhelming numbers. For a master swordsman who boasted being the second fastest shinigami in the Soul Society, it was hardly a problem for him to handle the overwhelming numbers; but a surprise attack from behind knocked him out and sent him spiraling down to the city below.

In the process, his soul pager had slipped from the folds between his kosode and shitagi.

**/\/\/\/\**

"Maaan….of all days for me to stay late for practice I chose today when I knew it looked like it was going to rain." Tatsuki let out a heavy sigh of annoyance as she walked in the rain. She was glad she was close to home now, but why hadn't she brought an umbrella?

That's right, because the forecast called for clear skies all week, and as such she wasn't expecting it to rain today. She had seen the clouds gather all day in class, but she hadn't bothered to think anything of it and figured they would pass. It was the reason she chose to stay late at the dojo to practice, but her dedication to her training earned her a walk with soaked clothes and a dismal mood. As she turned the corner toward the neighborhood district, she had caught a faint glimmer of something in the alleyway out of the corner of her eye.

She wasn't sure why, but curiosity got the better of her and with a reluctant sigh she turned and looked into the alley. To her astonishment and shock, there was a man laying face first on the ground holding a nodaichi in his right hand. It was rather strange that he was wearing a uniform that could have belonged to the Edo Era and that the coat he was wearing had the Kanji for the number five on it, but those thoughts left her mind as she noticed the blood stains on his arms and back.

Shifting her book bag around behind her she ran over and kneeled next to the guy and gently pried the blade from his hand before rolling him over onto his back. To her surprise he started breathing which she noticed via the shallow rising and falling of his chest. Oddly enough the front of him had only minor cuts compared to his backside. What the hell was with this guy? You don't just find some guy in ancient garbs with a bladed weapon in a back alley; right?

An occasional person walked by and she wondered why no one was turning to help. Wait…

Tatsuki felt something was a bit familiar by the black hakamas and kosode this man was wearing. Hadn't she seen others in similar garbs before? Mentally shaking herself back to the present, Tatsuki took the blade and sheathed it in the man's scabbard before moving to get him up to his feet with his arm draped over her shoulders. "Damn good thing I take karate or else you'd be in trouble buddy…"

For now she'd take him back to her place. He didn't seem hurt enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, but if his injuries proved otherwise she could take him over the Ichigo's. It was a good thing his dad had a clinic right at the Kurosaki house and that the two lived so close to one another.

Her walk home was even slower by helping support the unconscious man; and, it was also uncomfortable. It wasn't made uncomfortable in supporting him, but by the strange looks people were giving her. The hell was there problem? First no one notices this guy and now they suddenly do? Although…the way they were looking at her wasn't out of concern for the guy or confusion by his garbs; in fact, the stares were on her. Why?

Tatsuki chose to ignore them and just focus on getting this man home in the pouring rain.

**/\/\/\/\**

It was fortunate that her parents were not home as it likely would have been strange of her to bring a drenched, unconscious man in. She had carried him to the bathroom before moving to get him out of his upper garments while pat-drying his hakamas, his body, and hair. As she did so she noticed a scar trailing from his left shoulder down toward his right hip and a rather detailed tattoo on his right shoulder blade, but chose to ignore it. This day was already proving strange enough.

After getting him dried off, Tatsuki did what she could to bandage his wounds before taking him to her room and laying him down. She hung his coat, his kosode, and his undershirt to dry while propping his sword next to her bed. After drying herself off and changing into a loose t-shirt and some sweats she went to mop up any of the water that had dripped off of them from the front door to the bathroom.

When she returned she sat at her desk and silently stared at the man. Who the hell was this guy? She was having trouble shaking the notion about his outfit and that she had seen it before on others, but whom?

Oh well, there was homework to do before mom got home and made dinner so no point in wondering about such a thing for now. She could ask him about who he was when he woke up.

A few hours had passed and she had been so engrossed in the mass amount of homework they had gotten today that she never even realized her parents had come home. A knock came at her door and when the door began to open Tatsuki turned her attention to the unconscious man on her bed and began to freak out. It was bad enough she had a stranger in her home but one that was unconscious, a man, _and_ in her room? Her parents were going to kill her.

She had barely shot to her feet when her mother poked her head into the room and smiled. "Dinner's ready Tatsuki-chan." Her mom blinked in surprise at her daughter's look of shock. "Sweety, are you alright?"

Didn't her mom see the man on her bed? What the hell was going on? "Eh-heh," Tatsuki rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "yeah, I'm fine mom. You just spooked me. I didn't even hear you come home."

Her mom smiled once more and chuckled lightly, "I'm sorry dear. Come wash up for dinner."

Her mom left the room and shut the door gently behind her, leaving Tatsuki to look at the man once more curiously. Just who was he and why didn't her mom see him? Or…did she and did she just choose to not say anything?

Dinner was awkward as Tatsuki was expecting her mom to ask about the man but none of her mom's questions even hinted at the man. They were all about her day, classes, practice at the dojo, and how her homework was coming along. This was just surreal…

Tatsuki had chosen to take some leftovers from dinner with her to her room incase the man woke up which she was hoping as….she sort of left herself with no where to sleep by having put him on her bed.

After finishing her homework she decided to go check on the man's upper garments and was glad to find they had dried. She folded them as best she could before returning to her room to set them on her dresser when she noticed the man was sitting up with a vacant expression on his face. Gently she shut the door behind and moved to the end of her bed, setting the garments down.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" The man glanced up at her absently past his matte, long hair. His eyes were an interesting shade of a bluish gray which gave them a mix between deep and empty. "Ermm…what's your name?"

He stared at this stranger in complete silence for a few minutes while taking in the room around him. It was a tidy room with a few decorations on the wall. Where was he at…in fact…what _was_ his name? "I…don't know…" Tatsuki's eyes widen a bit in shock. Did this guy have amnesia? "Where am I?"

"In my family's home. I found you face-down in a back alley on my way home." She watched as he clenched at his head with a hand while groaning in pain. The man moved to lie back down and started mumbling. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I don't know…"

"Do you remember the last thing that happened before you passed out?"

"No…I can't remember anything at the moment…"

It was definitely amnesia. He seemed irritated in his replies which made her believe it wasn't some sort of trick on his part. She snapped a finger and held up the man's white coat and unfolded it, showing him the back of it. "Does this jog your memory any?"

The man pushed up onto an elbow and brushed his bangs aside while staring at the coat and the number on it. Five…five for what? Was it a place? A rank? Why the hell would someone go walking around with a giant 'five' on the back of a coat? Coat? Wasn't that called a haori? He groaned again and returned to lying down. "No…"

For now it would probably be best to just let him rest and see if he could recall anything tomorrow.

**/\/\/\/\**

The next day in school was hard for Tatsuki. She found herself thinking about the strange man in her room that her parents didn't seem to even notice; or at least they weren't saying anything about it. She had found him this morning sitting on the floor of her room tracing a finger over that long scar on his torso, but when she asked if he remembered anything about it he sighed softly and shook his head. Maybe he would recall something by the time she got home this afternoon.

She ended up going over to Orihime's after school to spend time with her and work on some homework together which helped clear her mind since it was hard to think about anything with Orihime's usual antics. It was fortunate she had a friend like Orihime who was so lively.

Choosing to leave after a few hours and to get home before the sunset, Tatsuki was surprised to find the man sitting in her room. Wasn't he hungry or something? Had he been there all day? "Hey…I'm home."

He glanced over and watched her come in, shutting the door behind her. She offered him a smile but he really couldn't feel a reason to return it, then again he had a feeling that he normally wasn't a man to smile. She frowned and set her bag down on her desk before sitting at the end of her bed. "You…have any luck?"

He actually had. He faintly remembered some things but he still couldn't recall who he was, why he was in an alley unconscious, or what it was he did; but, "Yeah…I do recall a bit…"

She smiled again and moved to cross her legs and face the man. "Such as?"

"That nodaichi…I recall its name being Tetsu Kiba…" Tatsuki was a bit surprised. Why would someone name a blade first off, and why would they name it iron wolf? "And…after realizing your mother couldn't see me…I remembered I'm a shinigami…"

Now that was even stranger and left her jaw agape. A death god? At first the notion seemed so incredibly far-fetched that she thought he was either crazy or messing with her, but as she thought about it that notion started to make sense. No one had bothered to help her when she found him and people gave her strange looks when she was carrying him back home. There was one way to prove it…

He watched as the girl leapt from her bed and ran to her desk, searching through a roll-out three-tier drawer from underneath the desk and pulled out a camera. Tatsuki turned it on and waited for the screen to start feeding the image from the lens before turning to point it at the man. Sure enough…there was nothing there. She nearly dropped the camera when she realized this and understood fully that this guy must really be some sort of spirit.

Was she going crazy from too much practice at the dojo or too much homework? That couldn't be as she had gotten some of his blood on her shirt from that day when she carried him and had lied to her mom, stating it was from a friend who had gotten a bad bloody nose and she had helped take them to the nurse's office at school. She couldn't be imaging it then if his blood did appear visible when on her, but then why couldn't anyone else see this guy?

"Eh…hello?" She visible shook once she heard his voice calling to her and snapped herself from her thoughts. He had a brow arched in question at her. "So what is your name anyways?"

"Oh…I'm sorry. I'm Arisawa, Arisawa Tatsuki." She bowed slightly and offered a smile once again.

He scratched at his hair and shrugged absentminded. "Tatsuki huh…I swear I've heard your name before…"

"Really?" She asked while putting the camera away and moving to sit on the bed again.

"Maybe…I don't know…so the city, what city are we in?"

"This is Karakura Town. It's a sub-district of Tokyo."

"Hmm…that also sounds familiar…in fact I know I've been in this city many times but don't live here…but I can't recall why I've been here…"

"Well don't strain yourself. You sound like you're making great progress as it is. Still can't recall your name though?" He shook his head slowly and sighed.

She felt bad for him. Not knowing what it was you did or where you were from was one thing but to not even know your name; that must be very painful and upsetting. A name was the core to a person's identity. It was how they could present themselves to others; but how could you introduce yourself if all you could say was, 'hi, my name is….ugh…nice to meet you'?

Thankfully it was the end of the week so she could try and help him remember more over the weekend. The question was, what could she do to help him?

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**Well that was chapter 1. Woo. We'll see how things go huh?**

**Next time! Chapter 2 - Fist Flying, Memory Frying  
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	2. Fist Flying, Memories Frying

**Onward we go. Things should start to feel a bit more interesting as our amnesia-inflicted captain starts to recall some things. But what?**

**Read on and you'll find out =P**

**Chapter 2: Fist Flying, Memories Frying

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"So if you need anything just feel free to call that number on the piece of paper I gave you, alright? I'll be back in a few hours after practice." Tatsuki smiled at the nameless man who was eyeing the piece of paper in hand that had some notes jotted down on it. He nodded once, and with that she grabbed her gym bag and left her room.

He sighed softly while looking at the paper and then his nodaichi that was propped against the wall between the bed and window. Still nothing came to mind beyond the knowledge of that blade's name and what it could do. He felt highly irritated by having no clue as to who he was.

Left to his own devices, he felt a certain instinctive nature to begin searching through things and learn more about this girl. It was possible that in doing so he could find something that may help jog his own memory and get his lost ones back. She was an athletic girl from what he immediately found out in his search; karate for the most part but seemed to play other human sports.

She was a rather well-rounded student which might explain why her room was as tidy as it was; although, he didn't recall knowing much about humans to begin with. If he was a shinigami…then where was _he_ from? What was the name of the realm he came from? As he flipped through her things he came across a journal and arched a brow. Flipping through it he skimmed page after page for something that might help him. He wasn't even sure how some human girl's life could help his own, but something in him told him to look.

He finally happened upon a name that caught his attention. He had seen it a couple times but it hadn't struck him until now; Kurosaki Ichigo. That sounded familiar, very familiar. For some reason he recalled that name being very important to past events, but what events?

With a reluctant sigh he closed the journal and returned it to where he found it, being careful of every detail to return things exactly as he found them. Why was he so good at this? Something told him he was trained in the art of stealth…

**/\/\/\/\**

"Still no word from Kenshin-san eh?" Shunsui asked while lazily tipping his sakkat to the side from over his face. He had gotten the report from Soifon who had expressed her concern. While technically they were still unable to officially declare the captain missing in action for a few more hours, he knew she was right to worry. Kenshin was very much like Soifon in being prompt in all things he did, which meant for him to still be missing like this was a very obvious status of MIA.

"No…my scouts haven't found a thing yet. The members of his squad that were with him were unable to verify where they saw their captain run to."

"Well it won't do ya any good to be trying to sweep the whole of the city in search of him. Have ya asked Yoruichi-san for help looking?" He noted Soifon's look of shame at the mention of asking her mentor for help.

"No…and I won't."

"Pride isn't something to put before the life of Kenshin-san, ya know."

"I'm not going to ask Yoruichi-sama for help in locating _my_ student. How the hell would I be able to face her after this?"

Shunsui sighed softly as his fellow captain stormed off, leaving him to his thoughts. Kenshin had the patience of a saint to have spent as long as he had under that woman's command and tutelage. Well if Soifon wasn't going to ask for help, nothing said he couldn't through his own channels. "Time to pay ol' Jüshiro-san a visit."

**/\/\/\/\**

"You want me to call Rukia?" Jüshiro asked in surprise.

Shunsui grinned and nodded. "Well yeah, that's what I'm sayin'."

Jüshiro shrugged but went ahead and called up his squad member. It was rather strange that his long-time friend wanted to talk to Rukia, but then again Shunsui always did things with purpose. "Rukia, how are you?" He nodded and smiled before letting out a light laugh. "I'm fine, thank you. Listen, Rukia, Captain Kyöraku wants to talk with you. Alright." He held the phone out to his friend who took it and held it to his ear.

"Yo, Rukia-chan."

"Captain Kyöraku, I wasn't expecting you to call for me. Is something wrong sir?"

"Actually it is…ya see we have a bit of a situation involving Kenshin-san."

"W-what?" He could hear the distress in her voice. "What's happen to Kenshin?"

"Calm yourself Rukia-chan. He was on a mission a little over twenty-four hours ago and he went missing during it."

"What?" Alright, maybe telling her to calm down was a bit of a bad idea given the situation. He also noticed the look of concern on Jüshiro's face as well as a glare from his friend for not informing him about the captain's status.

"We suspect he's still somewhere in Karakura Town but efforts by the stealth force have turned up nothing."

"So Captain Soifon is already looking for him?"

"Yeah." There was a pause on Rukia's end.

"Has she informed Yoruichi?"

"That's the problem…she doesn't want to given her pride in the matter and not wanting to be embarrassed over losing her student."

"So are you asking me to ask Yoruichi?"

"Actually I'd rather avoid that. I'm sure if Yoruichi-san were to find Kenshin-san I would get an earful from Captain Soifon. If possible could ya look for Kenshin-san? The only bit of information I can give ya is he was with a team in the Kasazaki district."

"Thank you Captain Kyöraku, I'll begin looking with Ichigo immediately." The phone clicked and Shunsui slid it cross the desk to Jüshiro who let out a soft sigh.

"So Captain Takeda is missing?"

"Yeah. Apparently the attack was coordinated by adjuchas and Kenshin-san moved to lure them from his squad."

"Hopefully his status is just missing in action, not killed…"

**/\/\/\/\**

Practice had been good as Tatsuki got a chance to stick it to that annoying asshole who had been a little too smug the past few weeks. She punched the air with a grin, "right in the kisser!" Her thoughts began to drift back to the nameless man and once more she was asking herself if he had possibly figured out anything more about himself.

When she got home she found no one else home which wasn't necessarily unusual. Her father often worked on the weekends and her mom used the time to run errands. As she walked toward her room she could hear the water running in the bathroom and scratched her head; shinigamis bathed?

She shrugged at the notion and tossed her bag next to her bed before flopping down onto it. Almost immediately after, she saw him walk in still with just his hakamas though she noted he had his coat draped over his shoulders while drying his hair with a towel. Why was she staring at him? I mean sure, he was toned and well-built with noticeable abs and he did look…dare she say, hot with how his face looked rough with whiskers? Those eyes weren't bad looking either.

Wait, wait, wait! The hell was wrong with her? This wasn't like her at all. She noticed him staring at her curiously and realized she must have done something wrong. "So…umm…figure anything out?"

"Yeah, that you apparently like the smell of strawberries."

"W-what?" She sat up quickly. She realized there was a warm sensation in her cheeks and immediately drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms. "Ugh! You mean my shampoo, right?"

"Yup. Nothing wrong with it but…I'll remember to read labels before using products again…." He tossed the towel on his shoulder and moved to sit at the end of the bed, leaning forward with his arms on his knees. "So you practice martial arts huh?"

"Yeah. I'm the second best female martial artist in my age bracket."

The man chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "I see."

"Why the laugher huh?" Tatsuki furrowed her brows and felt her competitive nature coming out.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. I just find it amusing is all."

"Really? Will it be funny getting your ass kicked?" She smirked at him. "Come on, you and me, let's do it."

He let out a sigh and moved to his feet while pulling the towel off his shoulder. "Alright…if you insist."

The two moved to the space in the backyard. Tatsuki felt confident in herself while taking up a ready pose. "Just going to stand there?"

"I'll be fine, just worry about yourself."

_Overly confident ass_. She ran toward him and shifted toward her left foot. She saw him moving to focus a defense on his right side but at the last second she leapt to her right and pushed up off her right foot into a spinning heel kick. She was surprised at how effortlessly he blocked her with his forearm.

This girl was actually good for a human, but good wasn't excellent and there were large gaps between them. He grabbed hold of her ankle with her still in the air before moving to shoot his other hand toward her throat. With the hold applied he brought Tatsuki to the ground with a light thud, causing her to cough. "Give up?"

"You wish." Taking took hold of the man's shoulders, she rolled on her back from her hips to her shoulders and planted her feet into his gut, tossing him up and over her. She scrambled back onto her feet and saw he had landed on his own though his coat had fallen off his shoulders. "Say…do you remember anything about that tattoo on your shoulder?"

"Right shoulder?"

"Yeah."

He glanced over his shoulder as best he could but really couldn't see the design. "Describe it to me."

"Well, it's a hexagon with two rectangles overlapping one another in a perpendicular pattern within the hexagon. In the middle of the ends of the rectangles is a star and in the center set in a diamond is a crescent moon."

At first he couldn't quiet place what it was but like a tidal wave he suddenly found himself being slammed with fuzzy memories. "Shihöin…"

"What?" Tatsuki relaxed her stance.

The man turned and picked up his haori, tossing it back over his shoulders. "Shihöin…if you're describing what I'm thinking of the tattoo on my shoulder blade is the family crest of the Shihöin noble family."

"So…you're nobility?"

"No…at least I don't think so…Shihöin…I know someone of that name but who…and why would I bear the family crest?"

"Maybe if we keep sparring it'll come back to you."

He smirked as he returned his focus on Tatsuki. "Most people don't look for a reason to get embarrassed."

Tatsuki clenched her fist tightly, "oh that's it!"

The man laughed as they sparred and she realized with each block and dodge that he was rather accustomed to fighting with his fist. In fact, he was managing to keep her at bay without breaking a sweat and was doing so with his coat still on his shoulders.

As Tatsuki threw punches and kicks, he had to wonder to himself just who Shihöin was. He remembered a woman with violet hair that would reach to her waist when let loose and tanned skin. She was someone important to him which was why he had that tattoo, but what was her given name? He couldn't even recall her face…damnit! He leapt back from a kick aimed for the head and side-stepped by the punch that followed, grinning as he did.

Why was she getting lost in this guy's eyes? They were nice to look at before but when he smiled the hues of blue in them came to life and gave him a shine to his face. Why were her cheeks red? It had to be from this sparring, right? She went for another punch by had her fist caught and suddenly a shiver ran down from her fist to the entirety of her being. What the hell was that about?

Shihöin…that name was so damn familiar…a tight fitting black uniform with an orange jacket…that uniform didn't cover the shoulders or back…wait…she grinned a lot and her eyes…they sparkled but…what was the color of them?

He pushed aside a punch and moved to connect with an open palm to Tatsuki's face. She just barely dodged it but felt him graze her faintly over the cheek. Suddenly she saw the world go spinning and could see him grinning at her. Instinct took over and she reached out, catching a handful of his coat and ended up pulling him down to his own surprise.

Tatsuki stared in shock at the sight of the man lying on top of her. He was propped up on his elbows but the space between them was hardly enough for comfort. His sleek, dark hair was brushed over her face and those bluish-gray eyes were locked on her own brown ones, leaving her speechless and unsure of what to say.

Why were her cheeks red? She knew they were by the burning sensation but why? "Umm…" He turned his gaze away and moved up off of her, flopping onto his ass. He pulled his legs in and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry about that…"

She sat up slowly and grabbed at her ankles, rocking slightly. "No, it's my fault." The silence between the two lasted a short while until she finally had enough and asked, "you fight for a living, don't you?"

"Yeah…I was trained for it by…someone…"

"That Shihöin?"

"Maybe but…" He touched the scar over his chest and suddenly began to recall another woman. Raven black hair cut short with two long braids wound tight that ended in a ring on each braid…She was tough and wore a haori as well…she addressed him different in public and in private but…who was she and what did she address him by?

"I don't know…I still can't fully recall these things…"

**/\/\/\/\**

The rest of that day and the next proved awkward for both as she tried to avoid eye contact with him and he the same with her. She was grateful when Monday rolled around which meant school and a chance to completely bury her mind in lessons and the usual high school drama.

Yet…why was she still thinking about him even as she walked to school?

* * *

**Hmmm...seems a certain Bee is agitated to say the least.**

**Feel free to review :D**

**Next time! Chapter 3 - Shadows of the Onmitsukido  
**


	3. Shadows of the Onmitsukido

**Well, seems things are getting interesting between Tatsuki and her strange "roommate". What lies ahead though?**

**Chapter 3: Shadows of the Onmitsukido**

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"Say…Rukia, are you alright?"

Rukia looked up at Tatsuki who was staring at her with concern. Damnit, she was so worked up about Kenshin that she had forgotten to keep it inside. With a sigh she shook her head slowly. "No…a really good friend of mine went missing a few days ago…"

Tatsuki frowned and set a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. When Rukia glanced up, she tried to offer her a reassuring smile. "Well what do they look like?"

What would be the point of describing him to someone that couldn't even see him? Regardless, she had to now since she was in a corner on this. "Well…he's a bit taller then Ichigo…toned…he has sleek, dark brown hair about shoulder length and blue-gray eyes. He usually looks like a bum with how he leaves his face, but he'll never listen to me about fully shaving the scruff off."

Wait…why was that sounding exactly like the guy at her home? In fact, it sounded unquestionably like that man. If he was a shinigami then how did Rukia know him? "What's…his name?"

"Kenshin." Rukia smiled weakly.

Tatsuki did her best to maintain a smile and nodded, "right. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for him and call you if I find him."

"Thank you Tatsuki…"

Both of them were thinking similar thoughts about Kenshin. How could Tatsuki help look? How could Rukia know this guy if others couldn't see him?

That day after school she spent her walk home debating on whether or not she should tell Kenshin she may know his name, but…wouldn't he be curious how she knew and who she had learned it from? Wouldn't that help him recover all of his memories and then mean he'd leave?

She smiled and set her forehead in her hand, letting out an irritated sigh. Why did she care if he left? It wasn't like she wanted him to stay; she was just taking care of him after all…

…right?

"Come on Tatsuki, get it together. Sure he's cute-" Did she really just say that? She never had said or even thought of any guys as cute, not in an attractive way. Was it really wrong for her to think that though? It must be as the guy was supposedly a spirit!

As she rounded the corner to her house she saw a group of large creatures lingering over the roof and froze. Those white masks…those unnatural screams…she's seen those things before…and there…

…standing on, no, above the roof was Kenshin. He had a pair of katanas in hand with six scabbards around his waist, three on each hip. Wait…the black hakamas and those creatures. As if a curtain in her own memory had been drawn away she remembered just who this guy was. He was indeed a shinigami and those things were Hollows. He was just like Ichigo was!

She watched in silence and shock as Kenshin suddenly was standing on the back of one of the hollows, a blade drive through the back of the creature's neck. But…how had he moved so quickly? Before she could even blink he was already standing in front of another, the Hollow splitting in half from head to tail. In mere seconds the group of Hollows was dealt with and with it she ran her house to see if everything was alright inside.

She had barely run into her room when she saw him sheathing his blade. He glanced over at her and blinked in surprise. "Tatsuki, something wrong?"

"What were those things and…I mean…listen…I think I may know your name."

**/\/\/\/\**

"Kenshin huh?"

"Yeah." She left out that Rukia was looking for him. She wasn't sure why she did.

He rubbed at his chin while rolling the name about in his head. Kenshin…it sounded familiar, but he really wasn't feeling anything come of it. "Well at least now we have something to call me instead of that unseen guy bumming in your room."

She smiled and even laughed some. "Yeah, I guess. So those swords you had…were did they come from?" She eyed the nodaichi in Kenshin's hand curiously.

"Care to see?"

The two walked out to the backyard where Kenshin unsheathed the blade and held it in front of him. "Fortunately I do recall how to do this. Snap down and eviscerate, Tetsu Kiba!"

Tatsuki was a bit lost by the disturbing command but then she felt the air around her whip up and watched as the blade began to glow brightly. The lone nodaichi became enveloped in light and with a roar the light split apart into six streaks that shot to his hips to make the six scabbards she had seen early. The nodaichi in hand had shrunk down to the length of a katana.

"What…what just happened?"

"I told you my blade had a name." He smirked. "All zanpakutö do…within each blade is a spirit that dwells as a part of us and from it we're able to unleash two levels of release…this is shikai. Above this is bankai; although, I won't show you that for safety reasons."

Without so much as a word the blades disappeared back into the nodaichi and he sheathed it as if nothing had happened. She was speechless; there was no doubt in her mind that this guy was just like Ichigo.

She was about to say something when dozens of figures appeared around the two. They were dressed in all black with their faces covered. A pair was standing between her and Kenshin with their cold gaze fixed on her as if she had offended somehow. Past them she saw a woman appear who was wearing a coat just like Kenshin's but on the back was the Kanji for the number two.

Kenshin arched a brow at the sudden intrusion, seeming confused. The woman smiled at him as she approached slowly. "You're…you're alright…"

"And who are you?"

Soifon froze in her tracks with a look on her face as if she had just been stabbed. He was joking, right? How could he not know her? The look on his face, however, stated otherwise. He truly seemed to not recognize her. "Kenshin…it's me, it's your mentor."

Kenshin shifted his stance slightly; keeping a hand hovered over the hilt of his blade. "Sorry, but your face doesn't register with me and I think it would be best to get your friends out of here. It's impolite to barge in where you're not welcomed…"

She recognized that look in his eyes, a look that was no different then a death threat. So be it, if she had to she would take him back to the Seireitei by force. "Stealth force, detain Captain Takeda. Now!"

One of the men standing in front of Tatsuki grabbed her and dragged her to the sliding door leading into the house while the rest of the masked men charged forth at Kenshin…_Captain Takeda?_

"Kenshin no!" Soifon watched as three of those in front of Kenshin went down in a haze of a blood mist, their abdomens sliced just below the diaphragms by a single stroke. Flipping the blade over Kenshin turned and brought it crashing down over an offender from behind then spun it and brushed his haori aside, stabbing behind him at the fifth target.

The man let out a gurgled cry before Kenshin twisted the blade with the man and withdrew the blade. The captain brought the blade up from an underhand stroke and took out the sixth offender before slamming his foot into the face of the seventh and driving his blade down to impale the man in the stomach.

Soifon watched in shock as her student flicked the blood away without any real thought or concern. That style of fighting…that was his and his alone; but why then could he kill with such ease of years of practice and yet not remember her? He turned to face her and pointed the blade toward her. "Last chance."

It would be best if she pulled back for now. She already had violated all sorts of protocol in trying to forcefully obtain Kenshin given clear evidence of amnesia, but…

Reluctantly she signaled to the remainder of the stealth force for a retreat and in the cover of a smoke cloud they retreated with the corpses of the fallen. Tatsuki looked at Kenshin in confusion and shock. What had all just transpired?

And why were those eyes so cold now?

**/\/\/\/\**

"You what?" Yoruichi asked while glaring down at Soifon. "You actually tried to apprehend a captain such as Kenshin when he's suffering from amnesia? You're just damn lucky he let you go. Damn it Soifon I can't believe you actually made such a stupid choice!"

"I'm sorry!" Soifon looked up past tears of anger and frustration. "What else was I suppose to do?"

Yoruichi glanced back down with her arms crossed. "Observe him and wait till he remembers enough to return on his own? I mean seriously Soifon it's not that hard to figure out. Also, why didn't you inform me of this the second you knew he was missing in action?"

"I…wanted to save face before you Lady Yoruichi…"

She felt a twitch of annoyance. "So you wanted to save face over having lost track of your student by ignoring the fact he's my student as well and that I could really give a crap about some nonsense like this? Come on Soifon, would you stop being so damn serious all the time?" Yoruichi sighed loudly to vent her frustration and to try and relieve the growing headache brought on by Soifon's reckless and stupid choices. "So you said he's with some human girl close to where Ichigo Kurosaki lives?"

"Yes…"

"Return back to the Soul Society and leave this to me. I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he stays out of trouble." She noticed that look in Soifon's eyes and sighed softly, "as will I. No faith in me as usual…"

"I wonder why…" Soifon mumbled with spite as she glanced off to the side. "Fine…and thank you Lady Yoruichi."

**/\/\/\/\**

Later that evening Yoruichi decided to go locate her missing student. The only way Soifon had found Kenshin was because of a Hollow attack that had rather quickly vanished and from it she pin-pointed Kenshin via the reiatsu of his shikai. Surprisingly the coordinates she was given was deathly close to Ichigo's home.

How hadn't that idiot noticed the reiatsu? Kenshin wasn't masking his spiritual pressure even in the slightest. "Oh that's right…that boy can't sense a thing. Then again Rukia stays with him…oh those two must have been too busy to notice." She smirked slyly at her wild accusation of the two.

When she landed she spotted Kenshin in the backyard practicing with his sealed zanpakutö. So if he didn't recognize Soifon then he probably doesn't even remember enough about himself to return to the Soul Society. Why hadn't Soifon bothered to tell her about Kenshin's status sooner? I mean sure, there was a silent bitterness Soifon seemed to have toward Kenshin and herself when it came to situations involving them interacting, but so what? Kenshin _had_ been her student first after all.

It also probably didn't help that Soifon had discovered Kenshin bore the Shihöin family crest. Whatever. That had been her choice to ask Kenshin if he would wear it and his choice to do so; nothing could change that. "Come on Yoruichi, focus."

Her eyes went wide when she felt a blade resting on her shoulder and saw the reflection of the moon shine off the curved tip of the blade. "Makes me wonder why the hell so many people are snooping around me…"

Yoruichi permitted herself a sly smirk and glanced over her shoulder at him, "mmm…could be because it's hard to keep away from such a handsome man."

Kenshin arched a brow as he looked into those golden eyes. Those eyes…suddenly all those memories of that lavender-haired woman had a face to them and…a name.

Yoruichi watched curiously as he drew his blade away from her throat and sheathed it. Kenshin slumped back onto his rear on the roof while running his fingers through his hair. "You…remember?" She asked softly as she moved to sit next to him.

"Yeah…I had remembered the family crest on my back after Tatsuki described it to me but I couldn't place your name to it. The thing I was missing was your eyes."

"Well they are such a lovely color." She went silent when her student shot her a glare from the corner of his eyes. "Anyways…do you remember everything about yourself now?"

"No…I don't understand why I'm here or who I am fully. I remember being your student but…that's about it."

That alone wouldn't be enough for him to safely return to Soul Society on. Until he at least remembered his name and his position as a shinigami he was hopeless. "Well for now, just stay here with this girl, alright? We'll see what can be done to help recover your memories."

"Thank you, Lady Yoruichi."

She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him close, kissing his forehead. "You know I'd do anything for you."

He noticed her sniffing his hair and arched a brow, "yes?"

"Mmm…why does your hair smell of strawberries?"

"Don't….ask…"

* * *

**Things are coming back to Kenshin, but seems Soifon has certain doubts about the well-being of Kenshin around Yoruichi. Hmm...**

**Next Time! Chapter 4: The Wolf and the Mouse  
**


	4. The Wolf and the Mouse

**Well...can't think of anything to say...but moving right along!  
**

**Chapter 4: The Wolf and the Mouse**

* * *

"So then, Captain Takeda has been located?" Yamamoto asked with his lids lazily open.

Soifon nodded, "Yes Head Captain. I'm requesting on his behalf that he remain on an inactive status for the time being."

"On what grounds, Captain Soifon?"

"He's still suffering from amnesia brought on by whatever occurred in the midst of the Gillian attack. Yoruichi Shihöin is keeping an eye on him and working to help restore his memories, sir."

Yamamoto was deeply displeased with such news. A captain unable to operate properly was of little use to the Court Guard Squads and it was dangerous to leave them in the world of the living; but, given the report Captain Soifon had delivered and the causalities suffered because of her reckless choice, it would be a risk to bring the captain back by force as well. It was fortunate that he still had the restraining seal to lock away a large portion of his spiritual power, but Kenshin still was a man that possessed a strong spiritual pressure that could attract unwanted attention if not properly kept under check.

"So be it Captain Soifon. Word will be sent to Vice-Captain Hinamori. In the meantime, you are to be confined to your quarters for your reckless decision! It is just fortunate that the captain did not turn his shikai on you and your men."

She bowed deeply and kept her gaze down to the floor, "yes sir…my deepest apologies." A grunt from the captain-general signaled her to leave from his office. He had a good reason to be furious with her over her choice as it was close to the same reason that Yoruichi-sama had been furious with her.

Why did she feel such anger at the thought of leaving Kenshin with Yoruichi-sama? Part of it, she reasoned, was because Kenshin always bore a mark of Yoruichi-sama on him. Having the Shihöin family crest tattooed to his body was like him wearing a collar with a tag stating him the property of Yoruichi Shihöin.

She stopped in her tracks and stared up at the sky. Who was she angry at and jealous for? Was she angry at her mentor for having chosen Kenshin over her and for taking something of hers? Or was she angry at Kenshin for having something she longed for?

Who was she really mad at? Maybe…both? Did she even have a right to be mad at either in the first place? She had screwed up before with Kenshin so she couldn't properly lay claim on him in any way. She had treated him kindly and out of her fear of weakening him she did a one-eighty and became cold toward him. After that she turned her back on him completely and lost his trust for what seemed like ages. Even now, though, it seemed he didn't trust her fully. It would be no surprise if he placed Yoruichi-sama well ahead of her.

As for Yoruichi-sama…there was nothing that needed to be said about all that had occurred between the two. The number of missed opportunities was beyond Soifon's memory and she knew she didn't deserve to think of her mentor in such ways.

So…did she even have a right to be upset?

**/\/\/\/\**

Tatsuki couldn't recall when Kenshin had come inside. He had chosen to stay outside to meditate after the fiasco with that woman and those masked men. When she woke up the next morning to start getting ready for school she found him sitting against the end of her bed with his head slumped over and his nodaichi's scabbard tightly clenched in his right hand, as if ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

He stirred as she slipped out of her bed and she really hoped she wouldn't wake him. When she came back into her room from showering to grab her book bag she took a moment to look at Kenshin who was still sitting on the floor. Had he actually slept like that? Gently she nudged him and immediately got him to open an eye lid and stare at her. "Hey, why don't you lay on my bed?"

"I'm fine…"

"Look, I'm off to class anyways so go ahead. It doesn't bother me." She offered a smile before moving to grab her bag and waved to him. He waited for the girl to leave before glancing over his shoulder up at the bed. With a reluctant sigh he used his zanpakutö to get to his feet, propped it at the end of the bed, and then collapsed onto the mattress face first. He hadn't come back inside the house until just two hours ago so he was feeling a bit of exhaustion.

The feel of the bed was a bit nicer then sitting on the cold wooden floor with a metal bed post to lean back against, but then again it wasn't like he had never slept in poor conditions before.

He was just beginning to drift away when a presence caught his attention and with a sigh of annoyance he moved to slip his jika tabi on and throw his haori on. Grabbing his zanpakutö he stormed out of the house, hoping the girl's mother wasn't home less it looked suspicious for doors to be opening and closing themselves.

Darting off quickly he moved from rooftop to rooftop, scabbard in his left hand rather then his sash. Sure enough he saw Tatsuki walking toward school and noted the presence was looming around her, but where was it? It was then that he noticed Tatsuki walking with two other individuals. One was an orange haired male while the other a short, black-haired female. The presence he felt was mostly coming from the guy, but he felt something coming from the girl as well.

"Well this might be interesting…" He stopped on a rooftop and watched in silence as the trio continued walking. Slipping his zanpakutö into his red sash he made sure to fully suppress his spiritual pressure before starting to follow again, making sure to maintain a rather fair distance. Why did this feel so natural to him?

Unbeknownst to the shinigami he was being followed as well.

**/\/\/\/\**

Kenshin sat in silence in a tree while watching the human teenagers running laps. Such frail things they were, barely getting winded by a mile run. It really couldn't be something to judge them by given the truth of them being frail compared to spiritual beings; but then again, humans lived such short lives that compared to someone like him it was barely a few years of his time. He had already lived longer then any human and possible a couple of their lifetimes, but compared to others he was fairly young.

Others…who was he trying to compare himself to? He could distinctly make out four individuals in his mind's eye but couldn't place faces to them necessarily. One was by far the eldest, as it was an aged man with a long white beard and a bald head. The next was a man with long white hair who he was remembering as being a frail man and rather friendly. His hair wasn't white cause of age but another reason entirely. There was also a woman with raven-black hair that was wrapped in a thick braid. She was suspiciously friendly but truly meant well in all her actions. He also remembered having visited her often for some reason.

The last individual he was thinking of for some reason stuck out the most. In fact he also had a lot of things to remember that all were starting to stick out in Kenshin's mind. He wore a straw hat and had a pink kimono that he always wore over his shoulders. He was a drinker and a lazy bastard; but, he was wise and a skilled fighter. He carried a daishö in a teal sash. He also could remember this guy seeming to be able to smile at most anything and never could recall this man loosing his cool. What was his name and why did he stick out the most of these four faces that had sprung to his mind?

He continued to linger in the tree into the lunch hour. Beneath him a bunch of female students were eating together and amongst them he noticed Tatsuki…

…as well as that girl from this morning. From where he was sitting he wasn't able to get a look at her face which was slowly starting to irritate him. Suddenly he felt a pair of arms slink around his neck and a cheek nuzzle his own. He glanced down at the hands to notice the tan skin and immediately could guess who it was. Speaking in a whisper and without turning his attention he asked, "how long?"

Her warm breath brushed over his ear and the sound of her voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, "since you left this morning…"

He had remembered her name and her being his mentor, but for some reason he was starting to remember how he loathed this woman's ability to grab at his attention and break his focus. It didn't help her slender fingers were lightly scratching at his chest and her cheek continued to rub against his own scruffy one. That's right…this woman seemed to get a kick from messing with him any time she got the chance to.

It was then that she whispered to him again, "focused on the short one with the dark hair?"

"Yeah…"

"Her name is Rukia Kuchiki…you met her when she was at the academy, except then she was just Rukia. You were observing the students back then." He glanced slightly to the side to see Yoruichi's expression and was a bit surprised that it was soft and gentle. In truth he really shouldn't be surprised by this; it wasn't like she kept him around just to screw with him mentally. She really did care for him as her pupil and friend, and always was quick to cheer him up when he was in a down mood; even if that meant using some of her questionable methods.

Rukia Kuchiki huh? That sounded a bit familiar but it wasn't until the girl had happened to tilt her head back in what looked like an loud sigh from the conversation that he then saw her face. It clicked far faster then any of the individuals beforehand and as it did he began to remember everything that had ever happened involving her. He recalled the day they met and how he had helped teach her to hold a sword. He remembered feeling sympathy for this girl who seemed alone at the academy and that the two had unique ways of greeting each other.

In fact…this girl had a big influence in his life and he was starting to remember something he let her do that he didn't let others do; and, he knew it had something to do with this haori and what it stood for.

A bell chimed and with it the girls began to get up to start heading back to class. Kenshin was starting to move when he felt Yoruichi draw him back against her, holding him still with his head on her chest. "Lady Yoruichi-"

"You can wait until after school gets out. Alright? She has classes to finish for the day, but after that I'll come with you to talk to her. She's been very worried about you, you know."

He sighed softly and nodded, "I figured as much…"

"So do you remember her fully?"

"Yeah."

"Remember yourself fully?"

He wanted to say yes, but in truth he didn't. He still didn't understand why he had the haori he did and his memories of Rukia only confused him more. His memories were fuzzy as to what the academy she was at meant and why he was there in the first place.

**/\/\/\/\**

The day went by a bit faster thanks to teasing from Yoruichi as well as conversations that she had with him to help try and jog his memory as well as solidify the memories he had recovered. Once the day was over she continued to restrain him while the students dispersed from the campus. Finally with the last of them gone she glanced at Kenshin and smirked. "Now we can go."

"Finally!" He stated with heavy frustration.

"Although…" Yoruichi grinned slyly at her friend before flicking his nose, "think you can beat me back?"

"Back where?"

"To that girl's house you've been staying at. Rukia is living close by so it'll be on the same route."

"I highly doubt you're asking me just out of a simple challenge…what's the catch?"

She feigned hurt at such a notion and pouted at him, but the cold stare from her pupil led her to give up on the attempt and with a smirk she traced a finger down from Kenshin's collar bone to his abs. "Well let's just say you can repay me if you lose by helping me make a day go by quicker."

He narrowed his eyes and sighed with annoyance. "Fine…" With that he was off, leaving a confused Yoruichi behind. Wait…he hadn't stated what he would get should he win. Guess he remembered that he still couldn't beat her flash step, but maybe she could humor them both and have some fun with him. It was a bet after all so he _would_ get something should he win.

He was so much like a certain little bee she knew…

**/\/\/\/\**

"Come on Rukia, you've been gloomy since you found out from Shunsui. You gotta cheer up." Ichigo tried his best to lift Rukia's spirits but his words fell on deaf ears. It had really begun to get his own mood down, but he wasn't mad at her for it. She had all right to be upset about Kenshin's status. She always boasted about being Kenshin's best friend ever but it was really her way of stating she cared for him as a friend. The two almost had a sibling-like relationship with how they talked with one another even in front of captains.

He remembered the first time he saw Rukia address the captain by his given name and was surprised when the captain didn't even seem to give a damn; however, when Ichigo tried it he got a fist to the face and woke up later with a black eye. He still addressed Kenshin by his given name, but he made sure to try and avoid the abuse that came of it; a vain attempt often enough against such a fast individual.

They had returned home and Rukia barely said much of anything to Yuzu and Karin other then a friendly greeting before walking upstairs. Ichigo sighed softly as he watched her and got a glare from Karin. "What?"

"So what did you do?"

"What? How the hell do you figure I did anything?"

"Well I can only imagine it has something to do with you. I mean I'd get depressed if I was around a guy that always has a scowl on."

"Oh buzz off Karin! Yeash!"

"Ichi-nii, dad said he won't be done until late tonight."

Ichigo waved a dismissive hand at the notion, "you say that like I should be upset or mad. That's a blessing; but, noted." With that he went upstairs to his room to start on homework and to also see how Rukia was doing. He turned to walk into his room and bumped right into her. "Rukia, what the hell?"

He then heard the wind faintly blowing through the window and looked up to see it open as well as two figures sitting on his bed. One was an all-too-familiar woman whose golden eyes glimmered with her cat-like grin. Next to her, however, was a man that seemed her complete opposite. His blue-gray eyes seemed dull beneath his dark, matted hair and he had no real expression over his face.

"No way…" Ichigo whispered as Rukia slowly walked toward the man with a hand out stretched. The man glanced up to her and remained motionless, arms draped lazily over his knees and hands hanging limp.

"Yo…" He raised a hand to wave at Rukia. Just as it seemed Rukia was about to lay a hand over the man's cheek to confirm he really was there, she instead slugged him clear across the jaw and sent him crashing past Yoruichi onto the floor before tumbling into the wall. Ichigo felt a rather heavy bead of sweat run down his forehead and couldn't believe that had just happened. Being quick to close his door he pointed at the window to which Yoruichi chuckled and shut it.

"Yo? Yo? You've been missing for a week and all you can say is yo? You freaken idiot! I've been worried sick over you and you just say 'yo'?"

Kenshin looked up at Rukia from his awkward position against the wall before falling forward, his face planted against the ground while he twitched slightly. He slowly rose to his feet and dusted himself off before starting to walk back. He made an attempt to reply but ended up stopping cold in his tracks with a look of sheer pain on his face.

Ichigo winced and even rubbed his own crotch sympathetically for the universal man-pain felt at seeing another guy get kicked in the groin. Even Yoruichi found that to be a painful move and winced some. Kenshin coughed while trying to form words but the pain brought him to his knees before he went face-first into the wood floor.

"Errmm…Rukia, he did just come off a missing in action status…giving the Soul Society reason to place him on a KIA may not be the best option…" Yoruichi stated while watching Kenshin cringe on the floor.

It took a few minutes and a few more body shots before Rukia finally calmed down and helped Kenshin sit back down on the bed. She hopped up on the bed next to him with her legs drawn under her and her hands in her lap. She wanted to cry but she didn't know if she should in front of Ichigo and Yoruichi. It wasn't like they hadn't seen her cry before; hell, Ichigo has seen her cry more then anyone she can think of and he usually was the reason for it, but still…

Kenshin glanced to the side at her and with just the slightest of a smile past his mangled locks of hair she finally broke down and cried, burying her face against his shoulder while letting him embrace her. "You are such an idiot! What were you thinking fighting all those adjuchas by yourself you lug head?"

Her close friend shrugged absent mindedly. "I was fighting adjuchas?"

Rukia drew back and looked at him puzzled before glancing over to Yoruichi who shrugged, "he probably hasn't recovered that part of his memory yet."

"So does he remember me as well then?" Ichigo asked.

He got a glance from the captain who tossed his hair back to clear his view and then received a grunt. "Yeah, you're that damn trouble-making idiot that gave me enough headaches in screwing up your job of protecting Mouse. Freaken carrot top…"

"Oh screw off!"

That brought a smile to Rukia's face who returned to her sitting position next to Kenshin. Ichigo couldn't help but smile despite having just been insulted by the relatively cold captain. Rukia and Kenshin really were like brother and sister, just without the formalities that existed with Rukia and Byakuya.

"So what all have you remembered Kenshin?"

"Well…a lot but I'm still clueless on most things regarding who I am."

"In short, he's not ready to return to active duty." Yoruichi stated. "Until he can fully remember his position as a shinigami he won't be of much use to even himself."

Rukia smiled and punched Kenshin lightly in the ribs. "I'm just grateful he's alive and back where he belongs."

* * *

**Hopefully you all are enjoying reading (I can't really tell...*cough*I3reviews*cough*) :D**

**Anyways**

**Next time! Chapter 5: Falling like the Rain  
**


	5. Falling like the Rain

**Glad to see this story is doing well enough for itself. Onward we go into...**

**Chapter 5: Falling like the Rain

* * *

**

She stood in silence in the doorway of her room; he was gone. He left behind his kosode and shitagi, but he was gone. She wasn't sure why that should be a surprise to her. He was a spirit after all and looked to belong elsewhere with others given what he wore must be a uniform of some sort. It's not like he was going to be here forever.

So why then did she feel sadden to come home to him being gone? Had she really gotten attached to him? It did feel nice walking in from school to have those cool blue-gray eyes watching her. No matter how late she was working on homework she had his company to watch over her. No matter how late she was from karate practice or from hanging out with Orihime, he was there waiting to greet her.

He wasn't the greatest or most active conversationalist, but it was the thought that counted and it always brought a smile to her face. She was just being silly though, right? She really couldn't expect him to be around forever.

So why did it hurt? Why did her room suddenly feel so empty? With a sigh she walked over to her desk and set her bag down on her chair before moving to change out of her school uniform and into something more comfortable. Feeling a bit hungry she decided to grab some leftovers from the fridge. The only sound in the house was the faint humming of the microwave and a single floor fan in the living room.

Tatsuki jumped when she heard the rumble of thunder outside and saw through the glass sliding doors that it was starting to rain. Again? These random showers were always so strange, but today…it felt appropriate.

She silently shuffled back to her room to eat the small meal and start on her homework, but all the while her thoughts kept drifting back to that mysterious man she had found over a week ago on a day just like this. Finally after an hour and with an empty bowl in front of her, she chose to just give up for now on her homework and pushed away from her desk in disgust.

This wasn't even like her. Guys never really showed interest in her in the first place because she usually was kicking the crap out of them or sending them a scowl. Why should she care about boys right now anyways? She had good grades, was a top athlete in her division, and had wonderful friends; even if they were oddballs at times.

Was it being selfish to want the company of this one guy?

_Knock, knock, knock…_

She rolled to her side and pushed up on an elbow, glancing to her door. That wasn't coming from her door; she was the only one home. The front door? She wasn't expecting anyone so who could it be? Sighing softly and swinging her legs off of the bed to the floor, she made her way out from her room toward the front door and opened it. If she had been holding anything she would have dropped it as standing there with only a few drops of water dripping from his long hair was the man that had somehow found a way to command her thoughts.

"Hey…" She said in almost a whisper. She managed a weak smile as she looked up at him, not really sure why she was feeling the way she was. "I thought you had left…"

He blinked in confusion and tilted his head to the side. He could tell from Tatsuki's expression and tone that she seemed a bit upset but was trying to hide it. For some reason he suspected it had something to do with him. The man crossed his arms over his chest and smirked slightly. "Did you want me to leave, Tatsuki?"

Her eyes widen in surprise at his question and with a smile she let her gaze fall to the floor. "Well no…but-" A hand landed on her head and she looked back up to see he had done so. Suddenly she felt herself go weak as those cool eyes suddenly became so deep and wise.

"Well then I won't. It's your home so I'll leave when you ask me to, Tatsuki." To his surprise she threw her arms up around his neck and hugged him tightly. The action somewhat confused him but he felt it best to return the gesture.

This girl had found him and nursed him. She offered her home to him and never had complained about him being there. She wasn't that bad of a person, for a human. Hell, she actually impressed him some as she had managed to toss him when they sparred for that brief moment. He generally hated humans because they were such self-serving, frail creatures.

But this girl was alright…

The two retreated back to her room where Tatsuki was able to get on her homework again. She glanced back occasionally at her bed to look at Kenshin who was lying down with his eyes closed and his head resting in his hands. She chuckled as she didn't understand why he didn't just use the pillow. "You know, there is a pillow."

He opened an eye and glanced across the room at the human girl before leaning his head back to look at the pillow sitting above his head. He shrugged which caused Tatsuki to roll her eyes. He really hated that action, rolling of the eyes. For some reason it also got under his skin and when Rukia did it he never let her get away with it. So…

Tatsuki suddenly jerked forward when something hit her in the back of the head. She turned and saw her pillow on the floor then looked to Kenshin who had a smug smirk on his lips. "Did you really just do what I think you did?" He only shrugged at her with that smug little smirk still on his lips.

Like hell she was letting him get away with that. Setting her pen down, Tatsuki got up and picked the pillow up before walking over. She waited until Kenshin opened his eyes before smacking the pillow down into his face. "Not so smug now, huh?"

A muffled reply came back, so she lifted the pillow and saw him still smirking at her. Feeling some annoyance, Tatsuki dropped the pillow and hopped up on top of him, trying to pin his wrist down but found him rather hard to fight against. He continued to smirk up at her while lightly struggling; lightly being a relative term for the difference in natural strength between the two.

Losing hold of one of the older man's wrist, Tatsuki could see him moving to try and flip the situation around and immediately locked her legs around his own, hoping to immobilize the man. Initially it seemed her efforts worked, until his fingers brushed up along her sides which caused her to twitch and draw away.

Kenshin took notice of this and slyly smirked, "ooooooh….ticklish huh? Shame I don't share the same problem…"

"You wouldn't dare." She gulped nervously while staring down at the man.

"Well neither of us knows if I would or wouldn't. So that means I may or may not." He slowly moved his hands closer to the girl's stomach. Tatsuki shot her hands out once more to take hold of his wrist but ended up grabbing his hands. The two lingered as he stared at her blankly while her cheeks redden. She thought to draw back and yet…why should she? "You alright?"

The speed at which she got off of him was amazing even to him. She was gripping her arms in a self-embrace, keeping her back to him. "Y-yeah…I'm alright…sorry about that."

"Sorry for what?"

"For the whole rough-housing and umm…you know…it wasn't appropriate of me." She didn't know why she felt embarrassed, but she didn't want to see him looking at her like this. Why was she so confused around this guy? She had barely taken a step when she felt a tug and looked back to see Kenshin staring up at her with a finger hooked into the back of her pants.

He glanced off to the side and smiled some before giving a little tug, "Here I thought you would face your problems head on Tatsuki, not run from it."

"I'm not running…it's just…" With out a word she ran from her room, leaving a rather confused Kenshin who sat up immediately. He heard the front door then glanced to the bedroom window and let out a sigh.

"Wasn't it a day like this that she found me in some alleyway? Strange how we remember things better when it rains…damnit."

**/\/\/\/\**

Why was she running? Why was she so upset?

Tatsuki wasn't sure if the wetness on her cheeks was from the rain or from her tears, but she didn't want to know nor stop running. Why had she suddenly gotten so attached to having Kenshin around? It wasn't like she even knew the guy to be feeling anything about him, but…

She stopped running and hunched over, hands propping her on her thighs as she took deep, heavy breathes to recover from the run. Had she actually developed a crush on this guy? "Figures…first guy I really take interest in and he's not even alive…" She bit back more tears and felt guilt over how harsh those words sounded. He wasn't alive in her world, but he wasn't six feet under either.

Tatsuki stood up and stared into the falling rain, letting the water drops splash off her face. She must really look a sight right now and would probably get a scolding from Orihime if her friend saw her acting like this. She knew Ichigo would never let her live this down after all the crap she had given him over the years of fronting a tough exterior. Something settled over her shoulders and caught her attention, causing her to look down to see that it was the white coat Kenshin wore.

Slowly she turned to face him and smiled weakly. "I guess I ran…"

He smiled despite getting soaked from the rain, but he shook his head slowly. "You're only human, Tatsuki."

"Do shinigami ever feel emotions like this?" She asked while drawing the haori tighter around herself.

"More or less, but we do. We are alive in our own rights, after all."

Tatsuki frowned and lowered her head; so he had heard her say that, huh? How long had he been standing there then? "I didn't mean-" She went silent when he titled her head up with a hand cupping her chin, and she felt herself grow weak when he flashed that same cocky yet confident smirk.

"You know…you have to keep your chin up in order to see the horizon ahead of you, Tatsuki."

"Kenshin…"

She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes. He had a heartbeat and his body felt so warm despite the pouring rain. When she felt his arms move around her she felt a strange feeling, as if nothing else mattered in the world.

At that moment, nothing else _did_ matter in the world.

**/\/\/\/\**

That next day at school had felt pleasant for Tatsuki. She didn't know why but she felt to be in high spirits.

When lunch rolled around she noticed that Rukia also seemed to be in a very good mood. "Hey, Rukia. You find your friend?"

Rukia glanced over and nodded with a gleeful reply, "yup! The lug head finally came back home so I feel great!"

"Well I'm glad to hear it." Tatsuki smiled, but she wondered once more if Rukia's friend was indeed Kenshin and when he had met up with Rukia. Had it been yesterday when he was absent from her place?

Suddenly she felt a pair of eyes staring at her and glanced slowly to her side at Chizuru who was smirking slyly at her. "What do you want Chizuru? I'm not in the mood for your usual crap."

"Ooooh it's nothing Tatsuki. I just noticed that you must be crushing."

Tatsuki spat out the water she had been drinking and stared at the half-witted girl in shock. "The hell are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it Tatsuki. I've seen how gaga you've been all day, staring off out the window." The brunette grinned manically while leaning ever closer, "come on, tell us who it is."

"I'm not crushing on anyone!"

"But she's right Tatsuki." Michuru stated. "You were staring off into space during home class."

"That doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention."

"Come on Tatsuki, tell us who it is." Orihime chimed in merrily.

Not Orihime too! The normally ditzy girl seemed intently focused as she leaned in with the others to stare at Tatsuki. She was so grateful when the bell chimed, signally the end of lunch period. "Oh! Looks like we got to get back to class, damn."

Chizuru's glasses caught the glare of the sun and she pushed them up her nose with purpose, "oh you're not getting off that easily Tatsuki. We _will_ find out who your mystery crush is."

"Shut up!" Tatsuki slammed her foot into the girl's face, causing the others to laugh while the two went at it.

**/\/\/\/\**

Silently from the rooftop of the school, Kenshin watched on as the students made their way back into the buildings. He glanced to his side when a figure walked up, and in a calm, almost emotionless voice the figured asked, "still planning on feigning an ailment?"

Kenshin turned to face the figure and shook his head slowly. "No…I've had enough time to recover myself. Thank you for maintaining an eye on my division, Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya gave no immediate reply, but when he turned toward the Senkai Gate he gave a simple nod of his head. "Consider it making us equal for protecting Rukia."

Kenshin chuckled while resting his arm loosely on the hilt of his zanpakutö. "I hardly need any payment for such a thing Captain Kuchiki. Rukia means as much to me as she does you."

"Perhaps…" With that the two captains stepped through to return to the Soul Society. They were in route to the office of Captain-General Yamamoto, but unbeknownst to them another was already present within the office when they entered. "Honorable Head-Captain, I've returned with-"

"Kenshin?" Soifon stated in shock as she turned to see who the idiot was interrupting her and saw her apprentice with Captain Kuchiki.

This…was going to be bad for his health…

* * *

**Oh boy...Kenshin's returned back to the Soul Society and just his luck to run into Soifon. Someone's in trou-ble.**

**Next time! Chapter 6: Not so Forgetful  
**


	6. Not So Forgetful

**Chapter 6: Not So Forgetful

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"You were faking most of your amnesia?" Soifon roared within the head-captain's office.

Kenshin kept his left arm resting on the hilt of his zanpakutö while rubbing at his neck with his other hand. "Well…if you want to be blunt about it Lady Soifon, yes."

She wasn't sure if she should feel hurt or angry with Kenshin for having lied to her. "For how long?" She asked trying to contain her rage in a balled up fist.

"I recovered pretty much all of my memories after you came to try and retrieve me as well as when Lady Yoruichi showed up to talk with me that same night.

"So why did you lie?"

"If I may correct you, Captain Soifon, Captain Takeda maintained his condition under false pretenses in order to maintain a post for a mission of his."

Soifon felt her eye twitch with annoyance. "Really now?"

Captain Kuchiki nodded idly. "He was handling a mission in investigating attacks within the human world that had become evidently coordinated. We've been suspecting new activity in Hueco Mundo ever since the Winter War but haven't been able to confirm anything. It was our hope to apprehend an adjucha."

Kenshin nodded his agreement while shifting his weight from one foot to the other. With his arms crossed he picked up on what Byakuya had stated. "My mission was going fine until the group of adjuchas appeared. Doing what I had to I drew their attention from my squad members but in doing so I drew the attention of something else and was attacked."

"_Something_ attacked you?" Captain Kuchiki asked. All Kenshin could do was shrug.

"It came from behind and with the confusion going on I wasn't sure what it was." Kenshin happened to notice the glare from his mentor and sighed softly. "Yes?"

"Nothing…if you'll excuse me Head Captain…" With a bow she shot one last glare at her student before leaving the office.

The captain of fifth division waited until he felt Soifon was far enough away before returning his attention to Yamamoto. "This attack was tactical effort on the part of someone above those adjuchas, sir."

"And what brings you to such an assessment Captain Takeda?"

"The amount of coordination displayed in their efforts and the attack itself leads me to believe so, sir. Even though I'm a far more appetizing meal then my squad members, adjuchas wouldn't be stupid enough to waste their efforts on the harder to kill target. The fact they turned their focus on me is evident that they were ordered to do so."

The elder captain stroked at his beard while contemplating the report given to him. In truth it all did point toward a leadership above the adjuchas. Adjuchas did not feed on human souls to sustain themselves so for them to even come to the human world was both foolish and reckless. Even if they were seeking to farm souls that had yet to depart from the human world, they still risked themselves to being attacked by a lieutenant-level shinigami.

"For the time being you will remain within the human world, Captain Takeda. You are to maintain watch should more attacks occur while I have a team sent to investigate the matter from within Hueco Mundo."

Kenshin bowed slightly, "as you command Head Captain."

With a nod from Yamamoto, the captain of fifth division turned and departed from the office, leaving Captain Kuchiki behind. "Something you need to say, Captain Kuchiki?"

"Sir. Should something be done to make sure Captain Soifon does not attempt to confront Captain Takeda?"

The elder captain grunted. "Leave it be, Captain Kuchiki. Matters between sensei and pupil are to be left between them to mend. Even if I felt a need to intervene, Captain Soifon will still find a way to get to Captain Takeda."

"Of course sir."

**/\/\/\/\**

Surprise tests were never a pleasant thing, but two in the same day? Was fate just looking for a reason to spit on her? Tatsuki sighed softly while walking him. At least her mood for the day was still relatively positive so even with those surprise tests and the teasing from Chizuru, she felt good.

When she got home she kicked off her shoes and walked toward the kitchen, feeling the need for something to drink. _Strange…didn't I still have a water bottle in the fridge?_ She shrugged and decided to just get to her room and start working on her homework. If she got it done quickly she could easily get some time to exercise and maybe even spar with Kenshin.

There she went again, drawing him to the forefront of her thoughts. She felt ashamed that she was thinking that he was just going to be here forever without ever recovering his memories. _That's just not right of me…_

As she entered her room she noticed a water bottle sitting on her desk and saw Kenshin napping on her bed in just his hakamas once more. It seemed his mode of comfort and it really wasn't a problem with her, but she felt guilty always eyeing over his body. She was just admiring an athletic man, right?

Wait…did Kenshin get her that water bottle from the fridge? She was glad that it was still cold and couldn't help but glance back at her slumbering roommate-of-sorts. "Such a thoughtful guy…goes to find me in the rain and has a bottle of water waiting for me when I get home."

"It's the least I can do."

Shit! Had she woken him with her talking? "I'm sorry…did I wake ya up Kenshin?"

His lids opened idly and he looked toward her, offering only a shrug. "Not really. Seems I'm prone to staying alert even when sleeping. So how was your school…thing…?"

She chuckled and sat next to him, taking a moment to drink from the water bottle. "It was alright. Had two tests today that I wasn't expecting, but I feel comfortable with how I did."

"Oh? What sort of tests?"

"Well I had one in history and another in my chemistry class."

Kenshin's eyes open more now and he winced some. "Glad I don't attend human schooling…"

"Do you remember anything about where you're from? I mean don't you shinigami receive some sort of education?"

"Mmmm…" He could tell her as there was no reason to seem so lost on all his memories that in truth he already had back. Why was he still pretending to have amnesia around this girl? Wouldn't it be better to admit the truth; or…did he not want to chance getting kicked out? It felt comforting having someone to talk to that didn't address him as sir, or captain, or Takeda-sama. It felt good just being a regular individual talking with a friend.

"Well…sort of. I didn't go myself but I remember that there is something for shinigami to train at before becoming well…shinigami."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well…shinigami is really more a term for those of us spiritual beings that possess spiritual powers. Regular spirits don't bother with schooling, but for shinigami it's needed; generally, anyways."

"I see…so did you go?"

"I don't think so…at least I don't recall having gone. I was trained through other methods to become a shinigami I think…something to do with that Shihöin woman. She was both my mentor and…commander or something. In any case, shinigami are taught general education, albeit different from human standards, and four key arts."

"Key arts? Like what?" Tatsuki had long since closed the water bottle and set it aside. She was leaned back over him, propped up on her hands. Why was she finding it so fascinating to learn from and about this man?

"Well…the first is Zanjutsu. As I told you before, all shinigami possess a zanpakutö and all zanpakutö have a name. Swordsmanship is the most fundamental principle to what we do which is purifying Hollows. The next his Hakuda, hand-to-hand combat."

"Ooooh….so that explains why you're so good." She smirked at him and got a chuckle from the scruffy-looking man.

"Perhaps. The third is Hohö, the art of speed and agility."

"I don't get it…"

"It took me a minute to find you when you ran out the other night."

"Really? But I had run for like ten minutes."

"That's Hohö. We employ a technique called Shunpo that allows us to move faster then the eye can perceive. The best of us are able to do so and cover great distances in mere minutes or seconds. The final art is called Kidö. To humans it would be like…ummm….magic if you will."

"Magic?" She arched a brow in disbelief.

"Yeah. There are three types of Kidö. Bakudö, the way of binding, ranges from literal binding techniques to defensive techniques and communicative techniques. The second is called Hadö, the way of destruction. It employs nothing but spells that are offensive in nature and range from projectiles of vary sizes and destructive force to close proximity spells. The final style of Kidö is a healing style that allows grievous wounds to be treated while hastily healing minor injuries as if they never occurred. Though…if I remember correctly, only a certain group of shinigami is trained in the third style of Kidö…"

"Sounds complicated…" Tatsuki trailed off. There was so much to this guy that it was like a book collection. She felt she had not even cracked the tip of the ice-burg with just who this man was, but even so, she was intrigued with him. He looked gruff and yet was gentle and caring. Aside from when she spoke to him he never said a word, but he always greeted her when she came home and even surprised her just now with having set out a water bottle for her. He was charming despite his gruff appearance….

"You're staring again."

"Shut up! It's my room and I'll stare if I want to."

He closed his eyes and shrugged. "True, but with how much you stare I'd think you have some sort of interest in me or something."

It was a good thing he had closed his eyes, because she was red as the bow-tie of her school uniform. "Oh shut up! I got homework to get to, not wasting time talking with your smug ass."

He simply chuckled in reply and shrugged once more. _This girl is fun to be around…_

As her pen scribbled away, Tatsuki spared a look back at the man appearing to be napping on her bed. Having him around was rather awesome…

She was really starting to silently hope it would never end…

* * *

**Shorter chapter, I know. But more of a means to move things along. Although, hints of something ahead perhaps?**

**Next time! Chapter 7: Questions - Lair of the Iron Wolf  
**


	7. Questions

**Sorry. I know it's only been...three days since my last update(?), but I feel stupid since I already have almost this whole story done already XD**

**Although I am rewriting the end and I like the changes so hopefully you do too :D**

**Onward...  
**

**Chapter 7: Questions - Lair of the Iron Wolf**

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"So you're pretending to still have amnesia?" Rukia asked as Kenshin leaned against the wall outside the Kurosaki household. "Why? What about the division? Can Momo handle it on her own?" She frowned and crossed her arms.

Kenshin opened an eye and smirked at his friend. "My, my. Is the Mouse so concerned for me that-oof!"

Rukia glared up at the gruff-looking man and pulled her fist away from his side. "Jerk…"

"Bitch…anyways…your brother is watching over the division enough to help Momo if she needs it. Captain-Commander Yamamoto knows that I'm here as I'm still handling a mission."

She blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Hai. My job is mostly to keep an eye on the city with Yoruichi to ensure that no attacks are made while a special ops team is sent into Hueco Mundo to try and find the cause of those adjucha attacks."

"So it's assumed someone else is behind it all?"

"Exactly."

"I see…" Rukia rubbed at her chin while mulling the information over in her head. "So where are you staying?"

"With Tatsuki."

As if a light bulb went off in her head, Rukia slowly brought her gaze back up to meet her friend's and smirked slyly. "Is that so?"

"…what?" He cocked an eyebrow, not really liking the inflection in Rukia's voice.

"Oooooh, nothing….lover boy-eee ow! Let go you jerk!"

Kenshin had quickly thrown on a headlock and was proceeding to grind his knuckles into the petite woman's head. "Run that by me again Mouse."

"I'm sorry! Yee-ow! Let go! You're messing up my hair!"

"Just get to bed ya smart ass…" He released her but not before giving her one more ruffle. "Little miss perfect has school in the morning, doesn't she?"

"Jerk.." Rukia pouted as she moved to try and straighten her hair back out. "Just don't cause trouble Kenshin."

The captain shrugged and gave a wave over his shoulder then disappeared into the night air. Rukia sighed softly but smiled, still feeling good in knowing her friend was alright. With a single leap she was back up at Ichigo's window and slipped inside. He glanced over his shoulder at the girl as she got back into her Gigai. "So, everything alright with Kenshin?"

"Yeah. He had his memories back a lot sooner then he let on."

"So why is he still here then?"

"He's handling a mission with Yoruichi while the Soul Society looks into why adjuchas were even in the human world."

"So….if he's here…who's watching his division?"

"Nii-sama." Rukia shrugged as she made her way to the closet to pull out her drawing pad. "Hey Ichigo."

"Yeah?" He didn't bother to look back from his desk or his homework.

"Umm…nevermind." She shook her head and continued with her drawing.

Ichigo glanced to the bed with his brows furrowed. "What is it Rukia? If you have a question then ask it."

"It's nothing." It probably wasn't a good idea to tell him that Kenshin was staying with Tatsuki. She wasn't sure if Ichigo knew that Tatsuki had some spiritual power and could see spiritual beings. If that was the case, though, was she aware about Ichigo being a substitute shinigami? Was she aware that she was a shinigami?

**/\/\/\/\**

"I did manage to gather the readings from that night you were here dealing with the adjuchas." Kisuke stated while fanning himself lightly.

Kenshin and Yoruichi exchanged glance before looking back to Kisuke, waiting for him to get to the point. "And?" Kenshin asked.

"Well…" He looked over to Tessai who nodded and slid a pile of interconnected paperwork forward to the captain. "Look for yourself."

The captain sighed while unfolding the spreadsheet, his eyes moving over the unfamiliar information. "I don't get it."

"The blue line is your reiatsu with the green being that of your squad as a whole. The yellow is the adjuchas and Hollows, and the red…well that's what you'll want to take note of."

"What red line?" He continued to fold and unfold, moving across the spreadsheet until finally he found it. His eyes widen at what he was seeing. Even if he wasn't able to read the spreadsheet exceptionally well, he understood what it meant with the red line peaking out of nowhere and matching his own reiatsu, if not surpassing it by a small margin.

Yoruichi noticed the look on her pupil's face and leaned closer to get a look. A similar reaction appeared on her own face. "Kisuke…that's not a shinigami reiatsu, is it?"

"Nope…"

"Then that means-" Kenshin began but was cut off by Kisuke who slammed his fan shut.

"An arrancar."

**/\/\/\/\**

The rest of that night Kenshin found himself plagued with the thoughts of an arrancar being loose. Hadn't the arrancars been dealt with in the Winter War? It was possible another could have emerged but it wasn't a comforting thought in the least bit.

If an arrancar _was_ around, then it made all too much sense why adjuchas were seemingly more active as of late. An adjucha was the Gillian stage before a Vastos Lorde; or as they called themselves, arrancar. Was it possible a new arrancar had come into existence or…did one of those that were thought dead somehow survive?

If it was an arrancar, was it just a fluke that he had been attacked or was he specifically targeted? _It had to just be a fluke chance. If any of the Espada had survived then why would they target me? I only fought one of them, and even then…_

His thoughts drifted away as he stared into the abyss of his mind. Those were thoughts he rather leave buried deep in the darkness of his mind then draw back up. Shifting in the desk chair he turned to look toward the sleeping girl. Even if it was a fluke, he was risking this girl's safety by staying around her. While he was good at suppressing his reiatsu down into an absent state, he was risking Tatsuki's safety by lingering around her.

If this unseen enemy was aiming to weaken the Soul Society then they might try to do so by taking hostages, such as Tatsuki. He knew the Captain-Commander wouldn't approve of him going after the human girl, but he would anyways. There would have been a time in his life when he'd forego risking his life for another save for his captains when he was of the Onmitsukidö; but like all things, times change.

He had developed real friendships with not only his two ex-captains but with a few of his fellow captains, vice-captains, and others. This girl though…she was the first human friend he had. She saved him and showed him kindness and hospitality. She made him feel normal without the concerns of being a captain and even made him laugh with ease. He felt strange when around her, as if nothing mattered around him but this girl's presence.

What was he suppose to do then? He wanted to protect this girl, but he also felt a selfish desire to stick around her. _Come on Takeda, what's happening to you? This isn't like you to lose control…_

_**No, it isn't.**_

That voice…the captain glanced at his zanpakutö in his right hand and arched a brow. He hadn't spoken with his zanpakutö in a long time…

Perhaps now was a good time to do so.

**/\/\/\/\**

The world of his zanpakutö was a strange one. It was pitched in an eternal night with no moon ever in the sky. The land was torn apart with deep ravines splitting parts up. The outer edge was surrounded by trees but everything in the middle was rocky with only sparse trees strewn throughout it.

In the middle of it all was where he could always find his zanpakutö spirit, Tetsu Kiba, lingering in his usual spot. The spirit always could be found under a lone tree in the center of the world sitting on a ragged, old mat in lotus position. Tetsu Kiba took the form of an aged man, although truth be told Kenshin only knew this by the gruff, raspy sounds of the man's voice and the gray hairs of the whiskers on his chin and jaw line.

Most of Tetsu Kiba's face was covered by the head of a wolf pelt he wore that extended over his back. Over his chest he wore a ragged cloak that came down to the elbows with his forearms and hands covered by worn-out armor. Around his waist was another wolf pelt that dropped down over the right leg. His left was partially covered by the ragged cloak but beyond that the spirit wore brown hakamas with tabis and straw sandals. Much like his master, the spirit carried his nodaichi in hand rather then wear it at the hip.

"So, you decided to finally seek me out after so long of remaining silent, eh boy?"

Kenshin bowed before the spirit before sitting down in the same position, setting his blade down next to him on his right. "It has been some time…hasn't it Tetsu Kiba; however, don't speak to me as if I was remaining silent to your calls. You never called to me for anything."

"I had nothing to call to you for, boy." The aged spirit grunted. "You achieved bankai and everything that came with it. There was nothing more to teach you so I didn't feel a need to call to you anymore, boy."

Kenshin never liked how his zanpakutö addressed him; boy. It was like Tetsu Kiba saw him as some child and addressed him such. His tone was either always bitter like a parent scolding a child, or stoic like a parent that had lost faith in their child. While his tone was always unpleasant, his zanpakutö was very wise and had never steered him wrong.

"I'm sure you're aware of my situation and that attack that occurred on me, Tetsu Kiba." The spirit only grunted in reply. "What should I do? Is it protecting if I stay with the human girl, or is it protecting if I leave?"

The spirit grunted again but craned his neck to look up at the tree above. "Like a pup you cry out to your mother for nourishment, suckling for the milk from her tit. How pathetic, boy." The aged-sounding spirit shifted some, the sounds of joints popping filling the night air. "How can you protect something if you are not around to defend it with your blade? Would you try to put out a fire by throwing water at it from afar, boy?"

"No-"

"Then why raise your blade to defend someone if they are no where near you to protect? It seems you've become foolish with this rank of captain you acquired. Did you learn nothing in your fight with that woman? That fight with-"

"Enough!"

The spirit tilted his head back down some but seemed to have no desire to say anything further on that matter. "You are the wolf, boy. The wolf can be a solitary creature or it can run with a pack. The days of you being a lone wolf ended long ago when you accepted friends into your life and into your heart."

Everything began to get hazy and as it did Kenshin felt himself awakening from the meditative state, but before he left the world of his zanpakutö he heard the echoing voice of Tetsu Kiba call out to him, "think of your pack…"

**/\/\/\/\**

_Of my pack…_

Kenshin's eyes shot open. It was already morning and Tatsuki had left for class. He let out a sigh, running his fingers through it shoulder-length hair. What was he going to do? What was it that Tetsu Kiba was trying to tell him? Why couldn't that old bastard just be straight forward with him?

He moved to stand when something on the desk caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Turning to face the desk, the captain picked up a folded note and opened it, reading it quietly to himself.

_Kenshin,_

_I didn't want to wake you up as you looked to be deep asleep. I have practice today for karate, but if you want you can come watch. I provided directions to the dojo from my house at the bottom of this letter._

_Hopefully you slept well._

_-Tatsuki_

Kenshin chuckled as he noticed the way the girl wrote her name compared to the rest of her penmanship. Glancing down at the bottom he eyed over the directions and the time to be at the dojo. Was she really just letting him know, or was she asking and hoping he'd come watch?

_My pack…_

He hated how wise Tetsu Kiba was despite how arrogant he sounded.

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**Hmm...what will happen? You'll just have to wait and see! :O**

**Next time! Chapter 8: Confusion  
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	8. Confusion

**Glad to see that people are keeping with this story, but some love would be nice. I love the love of reviews :O**

**Moving right along...:D  
**

**Chapter 8: Confusion**

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"Yo Tatsuki! You looking for someone?"

Tatsuki snapped from her thoughts and looked to the young man addressing her and shrugged. "No. Just got lost in thought."

She really was hoping Kenshin would show up, but then again she couldn't expect him to right? He probably was doing his own things like fighting those Hollows. Besides, why should she be so anxious for him to come watch? He was a friend, sure, but she didn't know him long enough to consider him a good friend like some of her classmates.

So why then did she feel so bummed out?

Practice began with some warm-up exercises to help loosen the muscles and get them ready for the training and sparring that would follow. It was all routine for her and easy to do without actually focusing on it. The warm-up exercises had become almost second nature, like walking or breathing. Stretch this limb, then that one. Twist this way, then that way.

The sound of the front door opening and conversation initially got her hopeful, but she chose to ignore it until she thought she heard a familiar voice. Glancing over, she two people walk in and sit down. One was a beautiful woman with tanned skin; although her purple hair and golden eyes was a bit strange. Next to her sat a smirking man who had his hair pulled back with a hair band but the gruff looking facial hair and blue-gray eyes told her it was him.

What was odd was he was wearing…well…normal clothes. He had on jeans and a white shirt with a button-up black t-shirt on over it, the buttons undone. What was stranger still was he made a comment to a couple that sat down next to him and the woman he had come in with. Wasn't he a spirit though?

She could ask him about that later, but for now she was glad he had chosen to come and watch her practice which gave her a boost of energy to push through the day.

**/\/\/\/\**

Kenshin gestured toward Tatsuki while keeping his voice hushed. Smiling warmly, Yoruichi leaned to the side and whispered to him, "Oh she's a cute one. Certainly seems your type of woman."

"Wait, what do ya mean by that?" He shot an agitated glance at his mentor whose smile turned into a mischievous grin.

"Ooooh…nothing."

"Right…I'm sure it was nothing." He shifted to return his focus on Tatsuki. While what these humans did was really nothing compared to what shinigami like he and Yoruichi could do, it still didn't stop him from admiring their effort in measures of their own limitations.

For a human she was certainly a capable fighter and seemed one of the best amongst her peers. Hell, if she was a shinigami she certainly would be able to match himself or even Lady Soifon with the efforts she was showing.

As the training shifted into sparring matches he was amazed to watch how easily she could best even her male counter-parts. While in the Soul Society strength wasn't necessarily measured by muscle but rather by spiritual pressure, he understood that muscle played a larger factor in strength in the human world.

Personally it seemed like he was watching someone like Captain Zaraki swatting away squad members; although, that really wasn't funny so much as it was dangerous…

The sparring finally ended and the two waited for Tatsuki to come back from the locker room. When she did she smiled up at her roommate-of-sorts. "Glad you could make it. Day been alright for you?"

He nodded and stuck his hands into his pockets. "Decently enough. Was surprised to just find a note but guess I was more tired then I thought. Ya looked good out there."

She felt a slight blush and did what she could to hide it. She knew he meant she looked good out there training and sparring, not looked good out there cause of …well … anyways. "Thanks. So who's this?" She looked over at the tan-skinned woman who offered a warm smile.

"You've already heard of me from what Kenshin's told me."

At first Tatsuki didn't quite understand but then it seemed to click almost instantly. Was _this_ Kenshin's mentor? She was….beautiful! Hell, just from the bits of her arms she could see that weren't covered by the light orange jacket, Tatsuki could see this woman was a fighter. Suddenly she felt rather uncomfortable before this woman, as if she was just a child. "So you're Shihöin-san?"

"Aaah!" Yoruichi groaned and tossed her head back. "Didn't you tell her my name, Kenshin?"

"Slipped my mind…" Kenshin said with a sly grin, glancing off to the side.

Yoruichi brought her head back down and shot her pupil a glare before smacking him over the back of the head. "I swear, you and Soi both…anyways," she turned her attention back to Tatsuki and extended her hand; "I'm Yoruichi and please, no honorifics. I really hate formalities."

Tatsuki took the hand and shook it quickly, "I'm sorry. So…" She trailed off, not really sure what to say.

"Oh!" Yoruichi set a hand on Kenshin's arm and smiled. "We should go eat, all three of us."

"Well I should be getting home-" Tatsuki began to protest.

"Nonsense." Yoruichi waved a dismissive hand at the notion. "It's not everyday that I get to meet any of Kenshin's friends…hell…you're probably the first friend he's had in a long time."

"Gee, thanks…" Kenshin scoffed.

"It'll be my treat." Yoruichi grinned joyfully.

It would be rude of her to refuse and she actually didn't need to be home, and she _was_ hungry; but, why did she feel like a third-wheel around this woman? "I guess that'd be alright…"

"Great! I know just the place too."

**/\/\/\/\**

"So…that's how you're able to be seen?"

Yoruichi nodded, having explained the fine points of a Gigai and that it gave shinigami a physical body within the human world to operate within. Tatsuki had been curious as the whole walk to the restaurant she noticed how Kenshin and his mentor both stepped around people; or, how girls walking by looked at Kenshin and giggled. Why did that bug her somewhat?

Tatsuki looked over to the side at Kenshin who was working on a rice bowl then returned her gaze to Yoruichi. "So how long have you two _really_ been around?"

Yoruichi tapped at her chin while thinking over that question. "Well I really wouldn't want to state my age in itself as that'd be a bit embarrassing-"

"Vain." Kenshin interjected while eating.

"Huh?" Yoruichi looked to the side at the man.

"Just answer and stop being so petty about your age."

"Oh shut up!" She grumbled before returning her gaze to the young human. "Well Kenshin became my student roughly a century ago."

Tatsuki nearly choked when she heard that and began to pound at her chest until the contents stuck in her throat made it down. "W-what?"

Kenshin set his rice bowl down and offered a shrug. "We spirits live for hundreds of years if not thousands. Lady Yoruichi and I each have been around for over a hundred and fifty years or so."

"Kenshin!"

"Oh calm down Lady Yoruichi…you act like you're some old crone. Yeash…"

The lavender haired woman crossed her arms and offered a faux pout. "Well a woman doesn't like to talk about her age…"

"That's a long time to be a student…" Tatsuki noted before taking a sip of water to help her throat clear up.

"Well," Yoruichi sighed softly as she propped an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, "he became my student a century ago but unfortunate circumstances caused a long pause from then to now…"

Tatsuki noticed the look in the older woman's eyes. It was a distant look with a feel of longing. Was it…was it longing for her student next to her? If that was the case then who was she to try and compete? Yoruichi was gorgeous with a great figure that both showed off her capabilities as a fighter and yet still retained the feminine figure and charm of a woman. Beyond that she had ample breast. How could she compete with that?

Wait…

Why was she thinking like this? Competing. She wasn't competing for Kenshin. He was a guy she found one rainy day and was taking care of, but…if he knew who his mentor was, couldn't he just live with her?

Although…he didn't opt to do so and he wasn't taking food from her or anything so it wasn't really like he was mooching from her. So why then was he sticking with her rather then go with his mentor?

"Oh, Tatsuki, can you come with me to the little girl's room?"

"W-what? Umm…sure?"

Kenshin watched as Yoruichi grabbed Tatsuki by the arm and dragged her off to the women's restroom, a bit of confusion washing over him. "Huh…"

**/\/\/\/\**

"Ermmm….so…what did you need?"

Yoruichi smiled while leaning against the sink. "I wanted to talk to you in private about Kenshin."

"I wasn't doing anything with him if that's what you're asking!" Tatsuki offered hurriedly. She was surprised when the woman laughed, her golden eyes glimmering as she did so.

"Not what I expected but alright. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of him. There are a lot of people that are thankful you found him and nursed him as you did."

"Oh…it was nothing…" She rubbed at the back of her neck nervously, not really wanting to meet the gaze of the other.

"He may not seem it past his gruffness and how quiet he is, but he's a sweet guy that means a lot to me. He was an officer of mine when I took command so long ago and…well he was quick to make me feel like I could handle the job." She smiled fondly at the memory.

Tatsuki however saw it as a fond smile for the gruff man still sitting back at the table. At least now she had her mind made up…

**/\/\/\/\**

That evening was rather quiet in her room. Kenshin hadn't immediately come home with her, something about dropping off that false-body. A knock came at her window and standing there was Kenshin with a smile. Part of her thought to ask him to leave, but…

She unlatched the window and opened it, letting him handle closing and locking it. "Ya looked great today at your practice."

"Thanks…"

He arched a brow while slipping his haori off and folding it. Why did she sound upset? In fact, she had seemed upset about something since after her practice finished. It wasn't because he showed up was it? She had left that note asking him to come. Maybe something happened at school? Humans, from what he understood, usually had drama in their lives around these teenage years.

As he tossed the haori aside on the bed and pulled his zanpakutö from his sash to prop it against the wall he couldn't help but inquire some. "Something wrong? You've been somewhat distant today since I showed up."

She winced some, lingering on the homework she was working on. "N-no…everything's fine."

"You sure?" He frowned while sitting down on the bed, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees.

She nodded slowly, not wanting to look back at the man she was starting to think she actually had somewhat developed a liking to.

"Yeah. Everything's fine, Kenshin."

* * *

**Not the best chapter in my opinion, but hey, we all like tension huh? ;D**

**Next time! Chapter 9: Shadows of the Winter War  
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	9. Shadows of the Winter War

**Chapter 9: Shadows of the Winter War**

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"_So how's living in the human world?"_ The voice on the other end asked with a hint of humor and a light chuckle.

Kenshin stared vacantly at the ceiling while wondering quietly to himself why he considered this man a friend at all. Sometimes Jüshiro's sense of humor just killed Kenshin. Not killed like 'ha-ha, slap your knee' funny, but more like 'I'm going to go see if I can't slip onto my zanpakutö and kill myself' funny. It likely was the fact that there really was nothing you could hate about Jüshiro that made it possible to tolerate him. He was a very friendly man that could never do a thing to piss you off.

"It's…fantastic. It's _great_ having my sensei around." Kenshin stated as dryly as he could.

"_That must be wonderful!" _Jüshiro replied, seeming to not catch the heavy sarcasm. _"You're fortunate to have Yoruichi-san as a mentor."_

Did…did he really not understand that Kenshin was being bitterly sarcastic? Sure he would do anything for Yoruichi, even risk his life to protect her. That was evident in the fact he bore the Shihöin crest on his right shoulder blade, but he still found himself banging his head against the wall at times as their personalities were heavily different.

It had been rather…complicated when Yoruichi first took over the Onmitsukidö as it was a sudden change from the command style of the previous commander-in-chief.

For whatever reason, Kenshin had found himself giving sympathy to the woman when she became his new commander-in-chief, maybe because she was around his age. As such he offered his help to her in getting the men straightened out. It didn't take her long to get everything working how she wanted, but she had seemed extremely grateful for his help and from that day forth he found himself cursed in dealing with the joyful woman on a daily basis.

"So, Jüshiro. Any report from the team in Hueco Mundo?"

He could hear some hesitation and the ruffling of papers, likely the captain of thirteenth division was searching through to find a report if one even existed. _"Mmm…ah! Here it is. Well so far nothing out of the ordinary. They've been ordered to stay away from the remnants of Las Noches, although they have reported some minor readings coming off of the palace."_

Las Noches...

The damage caused to the palace had been rather substantial thanks to the fighting between Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends in a bid to rescue Orihime Inoue, and by the presence of Captains Kuchiki, Kurotsuchi, and Zaraki when they arrived to provide support. Apparently over half the palace was leveled by the release of the last Espada's resurrección, but in truth the overall damage caused was estimated as being somewhere around sixty to sixty-eight percent; or so Captain Kurotsuchi merrily had stated.

Who then could be operating out of the ruins of some palace that was nothing more then a shell of itself?

"I see…thank you Jüshiro."

"_Anything on your end, Captain Takeda?"_

"No. The attacks have been tame and for the most part I've left it to Kurosaki and Rukia to handle. I'm not going to bother drawing my blade unless it's at least a Gillian-level attack."

"_I understand. How is Rukia?"_

"She's good. Still as stubborn as ever, but good. Why? Thinking it's time to drag her back to actually work?"

Jüshiro laughed on his end whole heartedly. _"Not at all, Captain. I'm happy that she's enjoying herself learning a human education."_

Feeling he had nothing else to ask or really talk about with his peer, Kenshin chose to end the call. "Call me if anything else comes up in from the special ops team."

"_Will do."_

Kenshin flipped the phone shut and slipped it back into the folds of his kosode before letting out a sigh. That battle…

_Images flashed before his eyes, images of buildings crumbling. All around the air was thick with the mixtures of fully released spiritual pressures which were causing things to crumble into dust beneath the fury of the dozens of individuals fighting._

_Explosions roared off in one far part of the city while another seemed to just rot into oblivion beneath the maniacal cackles of a ghastly cloaked skeleton. The images shifted to the face of a certain woman whose blond hair and deep green eyes held his gaze, as if it was impossible for him to look away. _

_She was beautiful, despite what she was she was more beautiful then any woman he had encountered. She had a grace about her that was beyond his words to convey and her strength was the thing any warrior would yearn to fight. Crossing blades with her had left him ecstatic. It was that feeling of finally finding someone that could truly push you to your limits and then past them, making you crave the feeling it created within you._

_They had met before that fateful battle in faux Karakura Town by pure accident. It was a collision of only the blades and nothing more on the outskirts of Karakura Town when their own patrols ended up running into each other. It was that night that the two took their own interest in the other and chose to meet again to have a real fight._

_That chance came when the two forces met for the final battle in the false city. Taking the initial confusion of the battles between captains and vice-captains against Espada and fracciónes, the two moved deep into the streets below to spar once more with their blades to test the limits of the other. That moment in an alley…_

_He came to understand just what he felt for her when she touched her lips to his own. Even with that mask she was beautiful. To his surprise that mask could part enough to let their lips meet in a silent passion that could never become anything real. They vowed to take the other's life in pronouncement of what they felt for the other. It was a strange promise, but it was all they could do for each other as warriors on two opposing sides…_

…_as two individuals that existed to sacrifice for others…_

_Unfortunately…he survived and she did not, but not because of him. It pained him to see that look of shock on her face as she fell to the city below. He had done everything to keep the fight between just them, even turning on his own allies long enough to take them out of the fight; but, he failed. He wasn't able to do what he could for her, to give her a death that she could accept._

_What's worse was he wasn't even able to be at her side in her last moments as he had to help press the attack on the key enemy, Aizen. Why did it have to end that way?_

Kenshin realized he was breathing heavily. His forehead and neck were drenched in sweat, causing his hair to stick to his face and neck. Staggering to his feet, the captain of Fifth Division stumbled about to regain his balance and his mind. Why did it still pain him to think back on that battle? Shouldn't he be glad his comrades survived, that they won?

Was it really a win for him though?

**/\/\/\/\**

"He's really going at it…" Kisuke commented while watching from near the ladder that led up and out of his underground training facility.

Yoruichi nodded solemnly while watching her pupil. He had come over already sweating, but it wasn't sweat caused from exercise; no, it was a cold sweat caused by a nightmare that plagued his mind. She knew it had something to do with the Winter War, because that was when she first saw it occur within him.

He had stayed with her for a month after the war to help keep an eye on the efforts by the shinigami in erasing any possible memories of the strange and sudden slumber that had befallen the city just before the city was moved to the Soul Society for protection.

She remembered being startled awake by the sounds of a deep-throated scream and when she would run into the room he was using at the shop, she always found him drenched in a cold sweat while breathing heavily as if he had just ran for miles. His pupils would always be dilated as if he had seen a specter; and in many ways, she had come to suspect that was what it was.

He never wanted to talk about what it was that was causing him these night terrors. He never wanted to talk about what had occurred in the war. By the time she, Kisuke, and Isshin had arrived the Espada were dealt with and almost all the captains, vice-captains, and vizards had been defeated either by the Espada or by Aizen himself.

Thankfully the night terrors had seemed to stop, that or Kenshin had just become aware of them and stopped letting himself wake up in such a panic.

For a man so strong, she could never recall him looking so weak. It broke her heart to see such a good friend of hers that had served under her command and been her pupil look so broken. She wanted to help him, but it was impossible to help someone that refused it entirely.

The way he was swinging his shikai, using that unique technique he had perfected…he was trying to kill the memories that must have caught back up with him. She watched in silence as he shifted about from one blade to the next like a dancer changing who they partnered with.

Where Soifon was a superior melee combatant, Kenshin was a superior swordsman. It was funny how her two pupils were capable masters of the two different primary fighting styles.

Kisuke tapped his fan against his chin, musing loudly. "Should we stop him?"

Yoruichi closed her eyes and just solemnly shook her head. She knew Kisuke was more so referring to the technique Kenshin was using, not to him practicing with his shikai. "He'll be fine…"

"Ya sure?" The blond man glanced to the side at his childhood friend from under the shadows of his hat. "Isn't there a limit to that technique?"

"There is, but he's still got about a minute before he reaches it. Five minutes is his maximum with it under a constant use…but I think letting him go the full five minutes will help him."

Kisuke nodded slowly while letting his eyes lazily drift back to the sight ahead. Kenshin's right arm was aglow with the Kidö compressed around it and the blade in hand. It was so much like the technique he knew Yoruichi for, Shunkö; however, it was a style perfected for the use with a blade thus earning it the name Shunken.

He really didn't know all it could do, and when asked, even Yoruichi couldn't explain what the difference was between her Shunkö and his Shunken; but, he knew it was a technique he did not want to be on the receiving end with.

Not with how soundly those cuts came and how deep those gouges appeared to be…

**/\/\/\/\**

Tatsuki set her book bag on the floor and stretched her arms up above her, trying to relieve the tightness in her shoulders. Kenshin wasn't here when she got home from school. His haori was still folded up on her bed, and on it she saw a note which she wanted to read but felt hesitant to do so.

Finally feeling like an idiot for being afraid of a simple note, she walked over and picked up the folded piece of paper and opened it up.

_Tatsuki,_

_Sorry for not being here to greet you when you got home. I know how it seems to brighten your mood, but something came up and I needed to go clear my head for a bit. If you need me for something then you can call the number at the bottom. It'll go through to the Urahara Shöten. Just ask whoever answers to speak with Kisuke Urahara, he'll be able to get me to the phone._

_Again, I apologize, but it's just something I needed to handle immediately._

_-Kenshin_

_P.S. Your alarm started going off so I sort of, accidentally swatted it into the wall. Umm…I'll replace that. Sorry._

Tatsuki blinked a few times before glancing toward her dresser near her bed and noticed the alarm clock missing. She walked over to the other side and found the alarm clock sitting just behind the trashcan by her desk. Sure enough, it was busted.

She wasn't sure why, but it made her smile as she shook her head slowly. "You idiot…"

* * *

**Next time! Chapter 10: Sting and Stung**


	10. Sting and Stung

**Glad for the success of this story for what it is =)**

**As such, we move on to...  
**

**Chapter 10: Sting and Stung**

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"Damnit!" Kenshin hissed through his teeth while having the wounds over his right arm stitched up.

Kisuke sighed softly and shook his head, being as careful as he could be in patching up the wounds. "Ya over did it Kenshin…you were told to let it go but you just had to push those twenty seconds out."

"I know that damnit; I don't need you lecturing me!" Kenshin shot back while slamming his left fist into the matted floor.

The shopkeeper could only chuckle while snipping the end of the string, finished with the third point where Kenshin's skin had torn. Kenshin had held his Shunken active for five minutes but when he had been warned by Yoruichi to drop the technique, he ignored her warning. He had gotten too lost in his thoughts and anger over them to pay attention.

The result was the Kidö compressed around the arm tearing at his muscles. While it had been tolerable for the first ten seconds, every second after began to reveal just how dangerous his choice was; and how reckless.

Finally at twenty seconds he felt his muscles give way and with it his skin tore at three points up the arm, spilling blood and shattering the control of the compressed Kidö. The first tear occurred from the wrist halfway up the forearm. The second started just above the elbow and curved around the bicep. The third tear started halfway up the upper arm and went to the shoulder, splitting into a 'y'-shape.

Kenshin gritted his teeth as he moved the arm slowly; flexing his fingers to make sure everything was still working properly. "Don't go messing with that arm. It should be good in about two days, but if you reopen those wounds then it may be harder to seal up again."

"Right…thanks Kisuke."

The shopkeeper grinned while putting away the supplies. "Ah, no problem. You should be apologizing to Yoruichi though." His grin waned into a modest smile. "Don't think she took too kindly to ya ignoring her."

"Right." Kenshin sighed as he pushed up from where he had been sitting at the small table and moved to walk upstairs. Kisuke only could grin from where he sat as an almost nostalgic feeling settled over him from days long since passed for all of them.

The stairs creaked faintly under Kenshin's feet with each step taken. The sounds of the old boards shifting under his weight made him twitch only the slightest. _Lady Soifon would be irritated if she saw me now, making noise._ A faint smirk settled over his lips.

Finally having arrived before the room he knew belonged to his mentor, the captain felt a certain degree of unease settle over him. Yoruichi was always a pleasant woman to deal with; well, pleasant in definition but not pleasant for the calm and focus he often had preferred years ago. However, he knew he was in for it right now. Ignoring her was one thing, ignoring her and injuring yourself was another.

Giving a single knock he waited a few seconds before stepping into the room. Yoruichi was lounging on her bed with a book in hand, idly flipping a page over.

The captain walked over then knelt down at the side of her bed, lowering his head as he did so to show his respect. "Lady Yoruichi…"

**/\/\/\/\**

For some reason that she couldn't process, Tatsuki felt like she had been at this shop before. She had heard of the shop many times, some candy store that hardly saw business and seemed to carry really odd things. Why though did it feel as if she had been here before? Shrugging, Tatsuki went ahead and slid the shoji door open and glanced around. It was a bit dark inside and no one seemed to be managing the storefront.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

A door near the back opened and through it stepped out a blond man in mostly green with a green and white-striped bucket hat on his head. He had a fan open and was using it to cool himself in more of an appearance then necessity against the pleasant temperature of September coming upon them.

When he spoke he seemed a bit eccentric which was a bit unnerving. "Oh, welcome, welcome! It's not often I get such pretty ladies in my shop! What can I do for you?" He asked merrily.

Kisuke opened his eyes beneath the brim of his hat, and he was a bit glad his hat and hair obscured the view of his eyes because he was shocked to see _that_ girl here. She was a friend of Ichigo's and had followed him to the underground training facility right before Ichigo, Chad, and Uryü had left for Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime.

Tatsuki stepped in slowly, feeling nervous about being at the shop. Why would Kenshin come here? "Ugh…yeah. A friend of mine said he'd be here…Kenshin?"

She was friends with Kenshin? Interesting.

Kisuke closed the fan and gestured to the stairs to the side with it, "right up there."

"Thank you…"

Slowly she climbed up the stairs, not sure if this was safe. It wasn't a trap, right? Sure it seemed highly suspicious to be coming to a horrible shop like this and told to go upstairs, but she was just being paranoid.

As she came upon a partially opened door she could hear voices inside.

**/\/\/\/\**

Soifon darted from rooftop to rooftop. The past few days she thought over just how irritated she felt about Kenshin not telling her the truth. He never had kept any sort of secrets from her. He always had been honest, always been loyal, and always been dependable.

Why then did he lie to her?

And why was his spiritual pressure around that bastard's shop? Soifon gritted her teeth as she shifted mid leap and began to head towards the shop ran by the man she loathed more then anything.

"Kenshin-kun, why don't you trust me? I gave you your name…"

Upon arrival she noticed his pressure was coming from the upper floor of the shop. What the hell was up on that floor anyways? Bedrooms maybe? Landing on the shingled roof she carefully moved toward the window where the felt the pressure at and glanced through the slots of the window.

**/\/\/\/\**

"Lady Yoruichi."

He waited patiently as his mentor continued to read her book, flipping another page idly. Her hair was down now which likely was either a hint of her laziness right now or possibly her frustration. She was wearing just a tank-top and her panties, but even that could be a sign of frustration when it came to this woman.

"Lady Yoruichi?"

"Oh, so now you care to listen to me?" Her gaze never left the page in front of her, but she really wasn't reading anymore. Why did her pupils have to be so damn stubborn? Kenshin and Soifon were like twins with how they acted; and yet, she loved that about each of them. It made things fun for her.

"I'm sorry, Lady Yoruichi."

"I know you are Kenshin, but would you just trust me for once?"

He glanced up at her with a frown. "You know I trust you…"

She closed the book and shifted to sit up in front of her first pupil, staring him hard in the eyes. "Then why won't you tell me what's been plaguing you? Don't lie to me and say it's nothing, Kenshin. I know you; I know when you're lying. We've known each other for a long time and you were the first within the Onmitsukidö to support me."

She sighed softly, leaning forward onto her knees. Her golden gaze drifted to the side for a second, reminiscing of the past. With a weak smile, she brought her gaze toward the pair of bluish-silver orbs of her pupil. "For once, let me support you, Kenshin." She smiled softly and reached out to brush aside the strands of his hair draped over his face, permitting herself an unobstructed view of his eyes.

It was strange. They were roughly the same age and yet she always seemed years ahead of him in how she carried herself and her wisdom. He sighed softly and lowered his head once more, letting his eyes close. "Lady Yoruichi…"

He felt her close the space between them. Her shins brushed up onto his thighs and her arms wrapped around the back of his head, pulling him against her just above her breast. Her fingers found their way into the strands of her pupil's dark hair, curling around them in a loving hold of his locks. She permitted herself to rest her face into the mess of his hair and take in his natural scent and the tinges of his sweat. She was familiar with how Kenshin smelled. She had often done this before in holding him against her.

His scent was so comforting. It was a mix of the earth with a strong hint of fresh rain. It was such a natural scent that it often made her wonder if the man she met who only introduced himself as Takeda was a man that lived in the wild, like the wolf he often seemed to act like.

She did care for him, very much so. He had been there at her side when she was alone, still waiting on Kisuke to make up his mind on where he wished to go. Even then, Kenshin was a faithful friend who she always found amusement in teasing. She would keep at it until she finally got him to swat at her and then she'd be content for the day.

"Tell me what's been haunting you Kenshin…please?"

**/\/\/\/\**

Tatsuki peaked in through the open door and what she saw left her speechless. The way Kenshin was being held, how close the two looked and the fact the older woman was scantly dressed…

She covered her mouth and backed away from the door, praying she hadn't been heard or noticed.

Kisuke glanced out from the room in the back as he heard the front door of the shop open then quickly close. "Well that was strange. Didn't she find Kenshin?"

**/\/\/\/\**

Soifon wasn't sure just what she was feeling as she looked on at the two embracing one another. Her mentor…her idol…was wearing little to begin with but the way she was sitting against Kenshin and how she buried her face in the man's hair made her blood run cold.

The last thing she saw before she drew away from the window was the arms of her pupil move around Yoruichi's waist. So was this why Kenshin hadn't been honest with her as of late? He was too busy being intimate with Yoruichi?

She needed to get away from here; she needed to clear her head. As she darted far from the small shop she felt tears bitterly sting at her eyes. So Kenshin wasn't as dedicated to her, his mentor, as she originally thought…

**/\/\/\/\**

"So that's why you had those night terrors?"

Kenshin nodded while running his fingers through his hair. It actually felt good to get his head cleared of what had plagued him for so long. "Yeah. I've felt guilty over not having been able to prevent her death at the hands of Aizen."

Yoruichi pulled Kenshin over to give him a kiss on the forehead then ruffled his hair. "I'm sure she'd still be glad that you lived after all that happened, but that you would carry on with your head held high like the man she knew and fell for."

"You're right, as always." He nodded.

She grinned and crossed her arms. "Well I'm not one to brag, but-"

He grunted, causing his sensei to laugh. Her rich laughter and having spoken about what had been plaguing him since the war's end allowed him to finally feel peace. As he leaned against the wall with her, he felt a smile cross over his lips and with it he knew there was something he still had to do. Just as he bore the crest of his mentor's family, he planned to get something simple on his right arm.

The number three.

**/\/\/\/\**

He had chosen to walk back to Tatsuki's to enjoy the calm of the night sky and the cool air. It was good that the fall season was rolling in as he really hated summer. Having been born in November, the cool weather was far more comforting to him.

He was a bit surprised to find the front door to the girl's house open, but instinct took over and he was careful to stay alert while walking through the house. Was it possible someone broke into her home? While he couldn't do anything to necessarily help if that were the case, he would should she be in danger.

It was illegal for shinigami to interfere in the lives of the living. The only time they could help was if it involved a Hollow attack, but if it was something outside of that it was beyond them to legally provide help.

Much to his relief he found her in her room, lying on her bed. "Tatsuki. You alright? I found your front door wide open and-"

"I'm fine…" She curled up some when she replied; her back kept toward the door of her room.

Something told him he wasn't wanted here. The air felt thick with tension and the strain in the girl's voice hinted that she had been upset, possibly crying. "Tatsuki?"

He began to take a step in when she sat up and glared at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks glimmered with the sign of tear-trails. Angrily, she threw his haori at him. "I want you to leave! Why don't you go stay with your mentor or whatever she really is to you?"

He wasn't sure what to do or say. Had he done something to upset her? As much as he wanted to try and talk to her to see what was wrong, he decided to do as she requested and picked up his haori from the floor. "Alright. I don't know what I did, but be safe Tatsuki." He sighed softly and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

She lingered there for a second before burying her face back into the pillow. Why did it hurt so much?

**/\/\/\/\**

Funny how the cool air that just minutes ago felt so comforting now felt bitterly harsh. He wasn't sure what Tatsuki had meant by her words. Stay with his mentor or whatever she was to him? What did she mean by that last bit? Yoruichi was-

Metal met metal in the dark of night. Kenshin held the scabbard in his left hand while gripping the hilt in his right, his blade only partially drawn to block the attack that had come at him from behind. Slowly, hesitantly, he glanced back over his shoulder to confirm what he really didn't want to see.

"Lady Soifon…"

The anger in her eyes was murderous, it wasn't the look an assassin would wear but rather the look a killer would wear. It was raw anger that lusted to be sated by the death of another.

"I see. Releasing Suzumebachi, likely here without clearance…well your reason is your own, I'm sure."

With the practice of decades as a master swordsman, Kenshin slammed his zanpakutö back down into the sheath, momentarily trapping the singer of his mentor's shikai to allow him to quickly turn about to face her. Releasing the hold he lined the butt-end of his scabbard up with his mentor's abdomen and slammed it against Soifon's stomach, momentarily knocking the wind from her and getting her to back away.

"You disgust me, to think I gave you the name Kenshin!"

"I've always remained dedicated to my duties, my honor, the Seireitei, and to my mentors." He stated while slipping his scabbard into his sash before unsheathing the nodaichi, the faint lights of the neighborhood reflecting off the sharpened edge with each inch that came out before sparkling off the tip.

"Apparently not…"

The rain began to come down heavy as if weeping over the battle that was imminent…

…a battle that should never occur…

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**Oh yeah...I do love a good fight!**

**So then...Next time!**

**Chapter 11: Bitter Tides: Bee vs Wolf  
**


	11. Bitter Tides: Bee vs Wolf

**I know it's been awhile since I updated this story (despite it technically being done), but if you are reading Of Sake and Cherry Blossoms then you know why I'm slowing on updates (moving two time-zones over across the country so lotta anxiety). But! Good came of this as I had a chance to re-read this chapter twice and thanks to that I actually made some modifications to it that I feel improved on it greatly (though it's also much lengthier).**

**Hopefully ya enjoy and I thank you for your patience :D  
**

**Chapter 11: Bitter Tides: Bee vs Wolf**

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A peaceful neighborhood that got quiet at night. No one was out on the street this rainy night.

No one except two captains fighting.

Kenshin went sliding down the street, trying to stop himself on reishi rather then the street itself to prevent damage. His action kicked up puddles of rain water, sending the small waves flying across the street to either side. The bottom of his hakamas and haori were soaked, his hair already matted to his face.

With his momentum brought to a halt, he let out a heavy pant of frustration and pushed forward off the reishi under his feet, causing a puddle beneath him to blow into the air like a mini geyser.

Just as his blade came flying in for a strike, she disappeared. Knowing his mentor well, the captain spun his nodaichi about then swung it up behind him, stopping the tip with his left hand and in the process blocking the strike from behind.

"You think that's enough?" She growled at him.

There was no point in responding when she got like this. He knew she wasn't actually speaking to him, but rather was just asking and stating rhetorical frustration.

Shifting about on his right heel, Kenshin pushed away the stinger of Suzumebachi then shifted his grip on the hilt to quickly swing left. Soifon back-flipped away from the attack with ease then used the momentary opening to come in for a strike again. Her new strike came in from below, aiming upward to catch the man that was the focus of her rage in the gut.

Shifting the angle of his blade mid-swing, Kenshin brought it down diagonally, intentionally missing his mentor but allowing himself to push up off the blade and flip over his mentor's attack. Now behind Soifon, Kenshin dragged Tetsu Kiba left then spun the hilt in hand to allow for a diagonal slice up toward his right shoulder.

Having seen the dodge, Soifon planted her left hand on the ground, twisting over it to spin herself around. She deflected the first swing then leapt away from the second. The two knew one another so well; they knew how each other fought so it was easy for them to constantly counter whatever the other person threw out.

Soifon faded from sight and appeared just above Kenshin. Gripping his right arm between her shins, Soifon swung herself around his outstretched arm and hooked her left arm around his neck. Sensing the danger of being struck with that deadly weapon, Kenshin leapt backwards toward a wall and slammed Soifon into not once, but twice.

The impact and rattling forced her off Kenshin's back and left her open for his next attack. Kenshin drove his foot under her and kicked her up just above the height of the wall before leaping up to meet her. Using the backside of his blade, the captain of Fifth Division brought it crashing down into the side of his mentor, knocking her back into the ground.

He flipped his blade back around and grunted, moving to sheath it, but stopped midway. "Overly stubborn…" He managed to bring his blade back out in time to block the attack, but with the speed Soifon came up at him from the ground he found himself skidding back in the air.

"Back-stabbing bastard!" She cried out as she appeared behind him much to his surprise. He felt the cold steel graze his neck and knew what it meant. It wasn't the cut itself that mattered but the mark left behind. One more sting to that same spot and he'd be dead instantly.

Soifon grinned as she watched the blood fly from the gash across the side of Kenshin's neck, having only barely missed the artery, but it still left a beautiful black butterfly behind that signaled a fatal strike point. How strange it felt aiming to take the life of the man that had protected her own life for almost a century. Perhaps that's how it was always meant to be, his life being hers to take away.

Soifon's grin faded as she flash stepped in front of her student and drove her right foot into the side of Kenshin's head. The impact sent him crashing toward the street below and into it, sending debris, dust, and water flying skyward.

She held her Suzumebachi up in front of her and in a mocking tone called out, "what's the matter _Kenshin_? Is the guilt of your lies catching up to you? Is it finally weighing you down, or is the _mutt_ finally learning his place?"

Her grin faded when she heard the sound of the wind being cut and then felt the flat backside of Kenshin's blade smack into her side before flipping about in front of her gut. Kenshin pushed her backwards towards him and drove his knee into her back, causing her to cry out in pain. Bringing the blade up along his mentor's body, Kenshin caught her under the arms with the flat backside.

He lingered a second, staring in silence as his mentor cringed in pain while being hung out over the cold steel. This was a pointless fight that he couldn't really begin to figure out the point of, but he had no interest in dying. He had too many people counting on him and too many people that would kill him once-over if he let himself die. With a heavy sigh of reluctance he spun about in the air and drew his blade away, allowing Soifon to go hurling toward the concrete below.

"Guilt only exist when one has something to be guilty of." He ran his fingers through his dark locks of hair, brushing them back out of his vision. "And this 'mutt' always knew his place…questions is, do you know what it is?"

Soifon groaned as she tried to recover from the impact of the ground, her vision both blurred and spinning about. She thought she saw something coming but it wasn't until she felt the faint reiatsu that she knew Kenshin was coming down at her rapidly. Rolling to the side, Soifon just barely dodged Kenshin's stab; a stab that blew apart the ground around it.. She stared in shock at her reflection of the blade and the rain drops still clinging to its surface.

Was that a sight so many had seen before they met their end? A cold steel blade coming at them and then….nothing?

Pulling the blade out quickly and seeking to keep his mentor pinned down, the calm Captain Takeda continued to thrust at his mentor who could only deflect and roll out of the way of the flurry of attacks.

An opening presented itself when she managed to kick his blade away from herself. With such a wide opening, Soifon pushed off the ground enough to spin herself about and sweep-kicked Kenshin off his feet. As he fell he felt the sting of Suzumebachi on his left shoulder and then on the right side of his rib cage.

Kenshin rolled back up onto his feet but was caught quickly with a kick under his jaw that sent him tumbling back a few feet. With a chance to catch her breath, Soifon made a walk towards the man she was enraged with, keeping her shikai down low. "I trusted you Kenshin…I trusted you just as I had trusted _her_. I thought you would be different because you and I shared the same pain from when she left the Soul Society with _him_."

Kenshin sat up slowly, rubbing at his jaw while blood dripped from the left corner of his mouth. His vision was a bit shaken and his hearing was rattling, but it wasn't anything he wasn't familiar with. Just as he was moving to get back to his feet he glanced up to see Soifon running toward him and felt everything go black for a second after taking a knee to the jaw.

Soifon gritted her teeth as she slammed her foot down into Kenshin's chest, snapping him back from the blackout and knowing the wind from his lungs. "Except you betrayed me as well! I saw that tattoo and you didn't answer why you had it! I didn't think anything of it…but then I remembered how you became so distant from me after Yoruichi came with Kurosaki and his friends during their attempt to save Rukia Kuchiki…it all made sense…you and her…"

She slammed her foot into his chest again, this time getting a sickening crack to echo out. Kenshin struggled to recover while he was left coughing up blood that had pooled within his mouth. He knew his ribs were broken, that was without question from the intense pain in his torso. What was now of concern was if he could even fight.

Soifon's left fist trembled as she stared down at the man she saw as a former student and friend. So much…she had shared so many personal things with him out of trust for the man who's very name meant dedication.

"I thought I could trust you…I told you things I never would tell anyone, things I couldn't confess to Yoruichi herself!" Again she slammed her foot down, digging in her heel. Kenshin gasped for air, his lips covered in his blood that was trickling down the sides of his face and into his matted hair.

"I told you these things and you turned against me…you played me for a fool!" Soifon tried to fight back tears that were burning in her eyes as she moved her foot off Kenshin's chest. She hated him. She hated that he had the Shihöin crest on his body, like some sort of mark left by Yoruichi on something she claimed as her own.

Slowly she knelt down and grabbed at his throat with her left hand, letting her fingers squeeze ever so slightly to constrict his wind pipe and further interrupt his breathing that was likely at risk from his broken ribs. Her right hand moved up to the side of her head in a striking position, a killing position.

A single rain drop slid down the back of the stinger and fell off the tip of Suzumebachi as it lingered by its master's head, ready to do what it was meant to as a tool of an assassin; kill. "I gave you the name Kenshin because I thought you would always be devoted to me…to be truthful…"

He wheezed as he grabbed at Soifon's left wrist, trying to pry her off. "You really are just a mutt…a lone wolf that only fends for himself…" The tears stopped and once more she felt her anger rising. Even now with death looming in front of him, Kenshin wasn't showing her the fear she would have expected. She always hated how calm he was able to be in the face of death. "To hell with you Kenshin!"

With that pain-filled scream she thrust her right hand forward.

**/\/\/\/\**

Time seemed to slow as he saw the spirit of his zanpakutö standing behind Soifon, his eyes masked under the wolf's head of the pelt he wore. Even so, Kenshin could see the look of disappointment and disgust on his face.

_**Think of your pack…**_

Those words echoed out as the rain came down slowly, each drop that hit him or the ground around him exploded in his ears like the crashing waves of the sea. So many times he had come close to dying, and each time he had pulled through out of sheer determination. That determination was simply to protect his mentor; but his mentor was now the one trying to kill him.

What then did he have to live for?

_My pack…_

As the stinger of Suzumebachi drew closer at its sluggish pace he continued to try and think over just who his pack might be.

_My pack is…_

That's when faces began to appear before his mind's eye. Yoruichi, the first person he smiled before. Rukia, the first person he truly considered a friend. Shunsui and Jüshiro, two fellow captains who he considered close friends and enjoyed speaking with and drinking with. Momo, his vice-captain who kept him on his toes and he had fun frustrating just to see how she would react. Even Soifon who he still respected despite her misguided anger at him.

And….Tatsuki. Even if she never spoke to him again; she had saved his life and opened up his heart.

_My pack is all of them. They are the pack I protect and care for._

_**A pack can not survive without its alpha. Get up. Fight!**_

**/\/\/\/\**_**  
**_

Time picked up its pace once more as he let out a deep throated battle cry. Soifon's eyes widen as she heard his blade come scraping across the asphalt towards her. Choosing to not risk being beheaded, Soifon pushed up and off Kenshin, landing a few feet from him.

Slowly, Kenshin pushed to his feet. He was weary from having his chest stomped on and the blood on his mouth was drying even with the pouring rain. His vision was blurred from taking rain drops to the eyes, but he had enough sense around him to keep fighting.

Stabbing his blade into the ground, Kenshin tossed off his haori, letting the very symbol of his rank and division fall into a puddle. Slowly he drew his blade back out, holding it in front of him so it sliced the very drops of rain that collided with the edge of the blade. The angle perfectly caught the reflections of the few lights around, sending shimmers off each individual rain drop on the blade.

"You want to talk about truth, Soifon? You want to talk about devotion? I never, _never_ broke from my duties! I have remained dedicated to everything I've done no matter what."

Soifon felt herself frozen in place as the gaze in her pupil's eyes changed the slightest, taking on the unsettling calm he was capable of. He neither seemed fazed by the pouring rain nor paid any mind to the drops sliding down the strands of his hair. His was a calm that could break storms.

"You want to know the truth of the Shihöin crest I bear? I got that when you were but a little girl still stumbling over yourself to impress Lady Yoruichi. I got it because she asked me to, she invited me to be apart of her family because I had none. I _am_ the wolf. I lived my life alone while you had your family and traditions to push you. I had nothing, not even a name!"

Kenshin faded from sight and to Soifon's shock he came at her from the front rather then behind. She barely had time to raise her limiting weapon to block his overhead swing but realized all too late that it was nothing more then a distraction meant to open up her midsection. Her pupil did not disappoint in taking advantage of that opening and drove his knee into her gut, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to stumble backwards before loosing her footing to a rain-filled hole in the ground.

The next thing Soifon knew was she felt something crack across her lower spine and with it her knees buckled, dropping her down. It only took a second before Kenshin was before her, his face almost masked by his matted hair and the falling rain that blurred her vision. Her head drooped with fatigue and shame at being bested so suddenly; albeit, she wasn't surprised that he could. He was trained by the former and present force commanders of the Onmitsukidö, after all.

"But I stopped being a lone wolf a long time ago, Soifon. I swore to fight for you and protect you with my life; or have you forgot about this?" Kenshin pulled open his kosode, revealing the scar that trailed over his torso.

Soifon looked up slowly and trailed the scar with her eyes, remembering well the day that scar was made and how close Kenshin had come to death because of it. He had earned that scar protecting her when she was still learning the ropes of being the captain of Second Division.

Kenshin pushed Soifon's chin up with the tip of his blade, forcing her silver eyes to meet his gray-blue ones and in them she saw so many emotions running rampant. "I _never_ touched Lady Yoruichi in the manner you suggest you impudent child…I never would dare touch her in such a disrespectful manner. How dare you even imply that I'm some sort of perverted bastard that would do such a thing to his mentor and dear friend. What's more, how _dare_ you suggest I would betray your trust. I have never betrayed the trust of anyone that has placed their faith in me!"

Kenshin moved the blade away but replaced it with his knee, rattling Soifon's jaw and sending her crashing backwards.

For some reason, Soifon found herself not believing his words. Perhaps it was the blows he had delivered to her or perhaps it was her own emotions taking from her her focus. She had felt such joy after having mended the wounds that had been born after Lady Yoruichi disappeared a century ago, but new wounds seemed to suddenly open when shortly after the Ryoka Invasion she found herself being forgotten as the Flash Goddess was asking if not demanding that Kenshin be given over to her so she could train him.

She cried out as she kipped back up onto her feet, her eyes burning with raw anger as she remembered being practically ignored by both her pupil and mentor during those two months Kenshin was in the human world. Was she nothing to Lady Yoruichi?

The two vanished from sight and reappeared a few feet in the air; the steel of their weapons colliding in a symphony of sound of ringing steel mixed with the grunts and gasp as fist, feet, and shins met with body parts. Finally they drew back to the ground with plenty of space to spare between them as they each panted heavily. Fatigue was setting in rapidly.

They each knew that this fight was winding down and that they likely only could manage one good last offense before they had to surrender to the anguish their bodies were in. They knew that the other knew it as well by the look in their eyes.

Kenshin lifted his blade up next to his right ear, the edge pointed toward the sky and both hands gripping the hilt tightly. Soifon kept low with her left foot leading and her right arm cocked back, the tip pointing up toward the sky like the stinger on a hornet that was about to strike.

As the rain fell around them, as their breath came out heavy, and as their cuts bled the two stared coldly at the other person standing across from them. The Bee and the Wolf, masters of their respective arts and yet so opposed now to end a fight that was born from misunderstandings. It had stopped being about right and wrong and now seemed to be just about proving who was better.

One last rain drop fell and was split over the edge of Kenshin's blade before he and his former mentor charged towards one another, splashing the puddles that had formed on the ground between them. As they closed in, Soifon began to thrust her right hand forward, her wrist twisting as she moved for the kill. Opposite of her Kenshin arched his blade backwards into a circular upward swing.

The wind shifted and a clatter followed along with a whipping of cloth. The two stood speechless at the interference lingering between them.

Soifon's eyes widen in shock while Kenshin gritted his teeth and looked away. His blade was pinned to the ground while Soifon's shikai was wrapped up in cloth, held tightly by two hands pulling away from one another. "That's enough you two…I'm very disappointed in each of you…"

"L-Lady Yoruichi…" Soifon uttered out. Finally her emotions washed over her and with them a weakness came as she collapsed onto her knees. Why did she always bow before this woman, why? She had done it the day they reunited near Sökyoku Hill when Soifon realized she just couldn't win, and now she was doing it again despite how furious she was with the woman she so deeply admired. Finally all those tears she had been holding back in front of Kenshin broke loose and she bit her lip as she cried in silence.

Yoruichi sighed softly before glancing over her shoulder at Kenshin who kept his gaze averted. She didn't need a reaction from him to know how much pain he was in physically, mentally, or emotionally. His eyes betrayed everything with the exhaustion they showed, the frustration, and the personal grief.

Knowing she had defused the two, Yoruichi loosened the cloth and pulled it off the stinger of Soifon's shikai and moved her foot off the nodaichi she had pinned to the ground.

Finally giving in to his exhaustion, the captain of Fifth Division let his blade drop from his hand with a noisy clatter before sinking to his knees. Yoruichi moved to ease him down before drawing both of her pupils against her, holding them close while trying to calm Soifon down.

For some reason she knew this day would come; a day when these two would fight. She was only grateful she had been able to intervene and prevent it from ending horribly.

As she comforted them and herself, she heard someone approaching. Turning her golden gaze from the two she was holding tenderly, she felt a smile spread over her lips as she looked up at the young woman staring at the trio.

"Can you fetch his haori then head over to Urahara's Shöten?"

The girl nodded meekly and walked back toward where the haori lay in the pouring rain, the number five facing toward the sky.

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**Mmm, I never do like writing nor necessarily reading fight scenes (just harder to picture what is going on), but hey, things will be better next chapter! :D**

**Well, some reviews are always nice *hint-hint* and hopefully I pleased you enough to not get killed by you all. I will try to get the next chapter up before my move (as there will be a week of down-time for me while driving to my new home).**

**NEXT TIME!**

**Chapter 12: The Comforts of Girl Talk  
**


	12. The Comforts of Girl Talk

**So...yeah...hopefully none of ya have been plotting on hanging me for taking so long to post what I've already finished. My apologies though as I moved a few weeks ago and have just been off-put by trying to find work and all that good moving jazz...anyways, as an apology and thank you to all of you that read this and kept with it, I'll be posting the final two chapters in a single go so you can finally see how things end.**

**Chapter 12: ****The Comforts of Girl Talk**

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"Alright. I've done what I can Kenshin-san."

Kenshin sighed softly and began to roll his shoulders. The tightness in his chest was gone, but the muscles still ached. That really couldn't be helped as there was a limit to how much damage could be healed by the work of healing Kidö. It was fortunate enough that the more serious damage to his body could be handled which had been his cracked ribs.

He looked over his shoulder as the large man moved to stand and nodded. "Thanks Tessai…I owe you."

The man simply let out a chuckle while opening the shoji door. "Nonsense Kenshin-san. You're as much apart of this shop as Yoruichi-san." With that he left the room, leaving Kenshin a bit confused but grateful nonetheless for the healing; and, to be rid of the large man's presence.

He knew Tessai meant well, but the man was certainly an odd fellow; especially, for a man that was once the captain of the Kidö Corps.

The Fifth Division captain eased himself back on the floor, settling his head on his folded arms. From what he understood Yoruichi was talking with Tatsuki right now and would then deal with Soifon before coming to him. He really wasn't sure why she needed to talk with him as he at most was only guilty of having taken part in the fight. It _was_ self-defense though.

Who was he kidding? She'd scold him all the same. She'd likely scold him about not being responsible and aiming to defuse the fight rather then encourage it and that he needs to remember himself as a captain. Usually these 'scoldings' were more of her way of conveying her concern while also poking fun at him over something. It was far and few that she actually got mad with him or irritated with him.

His mind began to mull over just why Soifon would have blamed him for having some sort of romantic relationship with Yoruichi or having bedded her. It was possible Soifon's own feelings for their common mentor had caused the young woman to misinterpret something she saw, but what?

In truth it was amusing to him as the thing she had told him were the feelings she held for Yoruichi. She admitted to him everything about her feelings for the Flash Goddess from how she first became entranced by the woman as a little girl and that those feelings of admiration became feelings of desire and longing.

Love did strange things to a person's perception of the world. He closed his eyes and smirked some at the thought. _Time to tell her how you feel, Soifon. You've waited long enough…_

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Tatsuki's night had gone from horrible to upsetting to understanding. She had yelled at Kenshin to leave and go back to his mentor…or whatever she was to him.

Thinking back on that, she felt horrid about it. He had never done anything wrong to her to deserve such a nasty retaliation. Hell, he had come storming into her house concerned that she may be hurt.

Yet she chose to be cold toward him out of her own emotional confusion. Although… could anyone blame her? This was the first time she had developed a crush on a guy and she really did think it was mutual from the way he acted around her. Maybe he was just being friendly, and even if that was the case she had no right to treat him so poorly.

After some more much needed crying, she finally began to really think about it and once more came back to the same question; why would he stay around her if he could just stay with his mentor?

"_Maybe…maybe they aren't a couple."_

If nothing more, she had to at least apologize to him for yelling at him, if only to partially mend her aching heart. What happened instead was a shock as she found him in the midst of a bloody fight with a petite woman that was proceeding to stomp his chest in.

She wanted to scream, to run and help him but she remembered how much of a capable fighter he was, and a proud one at that. It wasn't her right to interfere, was it? Thankfully…Yoruichi had shown up to stop the fight and in doing so brought everyone back to the shop, herself included.

Strangely enough, Yoruichi had wanted to speak with her first rather then with the two individuals that had fought and were her students.

"Why me?" Tatsuki asked as she fidgeted.

The older woman only smiled while staring down at the somewhat bloodied and torn haori in her hands. "Tell me, Tatsuki, do you like Kenshin?"

That question threw the teen off who felt suddenly cornered. Why was Yoruichi asking her this? Was she asking so she could tell Tatsuki off? No…that didn't seem how this woman acted. From the little interaction she had with Yoruichi, Tatsuki noticed that the woman seemed playful and friendly.

Although right now she was seeing a tender side.

"Yes…as just a friend though."

Yoruichi glanced up and smirked some, moving to fold the haori in her lap. "You don't have to lie to me."

"W-what makes you think I'm lying?" Tatsuki asked, trying her best to maintain eye contact.

Setting the folded haori aside, Yoruichi rested her jaw in her hand. How nice it was to be young and so innocent. This girl was a good person, but she was a bit naïve when it came to the game of love and because of that she was a terrible liar.

"It's all over your face, Tatsuki. I saw it when I first met you at your dojo and saw it clear as day when we were out to eat. You like him as more then a friend."

Tatsuki bit her lip, no longer able to hold the gaze of the older woman. "Sorry…"

"Sorry for what?"

"Well aren't you two…together?"

At first Yoruichi didn't really understand what Tatsuki was implying, but when she put two-and-two together she started laughing and even slapped her knee. Holding a hand up in front of her while trying to calm herself down, Yoruichi looked up at Tatsuki with a glimmer in her eyes.

"No, I'm so sorry for laughing, but no…Kenshin and I have never been a couple, nor will we ever be a couple. I'm so sorry, but what made you think that?"

"Well…" Tatsuki grabbed at the fabric of her khakis, not sure if she should tell the older woman what she saw. "Earlier today I saw you two…holding each other…"

Yoruichi's eyes widen as she knew exactly what Tatsuki was talking about, but sighed softly as she maintained a warm smile. "Again…I'm sorry. I probably should learn to wear pants even when relaxing around my room, but….well anyways the point is, I think you saw something that wasn't there."

"What do you mean?" Tatsuki asked, now bringing her gaze up.

"I won't lie, I love Kenshin, and I've loved him for a long time. Have I ever mused over such thoughts as dating him or bedding with him? Of course, it's just natural when you're around someone for so long without anything to restrain you, but I know it would never happen. I love Kenshin the way two close friends love one another and I would do anything to protect him just as I know he would for me."

Yoruichi crawled forward to sit closer to Tatsuki and settled a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "But Tatsuki, that's all it is. I'm a touchy-feely sort of person. I like to be physically close with those that are close to me in my life which is why I was holding Kenshin and burying my face in his hair. However, I promise you he is a free man."

Tatsuki felt a surge of comfort at knowing this, but her heart sank when she remembered her accusation towards Kenshin and demand for him to leave. Sensing the sudden rise and fall in the girl's mood, Yoruichi drew her into an embrace. "You say something hurtful to him?"

"Yes…I may have blown any chances with him already…"

Yoruichi chuckled while stroking the girl's back. "Tatsuki, if Kenshin was able to forgive me after holding a grudge for a century, I'm sure he can forgive you after only a few hours. Besides…I know he likes you."

Tatsuki drew back some and stared in disbelief. "He…does?"

"Mmhmm…Kenshin was never a man to smile and in all the years I've known him, I only saw him smile once before I left the Soul Society. I wouldn't see that smile for a hundred years, and yet you are able to make him smile daily. Follow your heart and don't let him get away."

Tatsuki nodded slowly as she looked down into her lap, thinking over the revelations she had just learned. But how would she make it up to Kenshin for having been hurtful towards him?

Something still was tugging at the back of her mind though; Kenshin was hiding something from her. The way he acted seemed a bit too…casual for a man that had lost his memories. His steps, his words, everything as of recent seemed curiously well acted.

Licking her lips nervously, Tatsuki glanced up to the older woman and slowly asked, "Yoruichi, may I ask you something…about Kenshin?"

Yoruichi arched a brow but nodded once.

Letting her gaze fall to the haori and the Kanji for "five" on it, she felt a sense of true desire to know everything about who Kenshin actually is; beyond the shadows. "I want to know just who Kenshin is in this world you two are from…"

The request left Yoruichi a bit off-balanced. She really couldn't blame Tatsuki for asking, but at the same time was it really her place to dispel the truth behind Kenshin's existence as a shinigami and more so as a captain?

She wanted to side-step the request and leave it upon her pupil to explain, but the look in the girl's eyes as she stared at the haori tugged at Yoruichi.

Kenshin would understand and forgive her.

* * *

Kenshin had nearly drifted into a nap when the sound of the shoji door and someone pacing into the room alerted him. Choosing to keep his eyes closed, Kenshin waited for the individual to stop moving which they did so above his head. It felt like they were leaning over him which meant it was likely only one person in particular.

Daring to open his eyes, he found a pair of golden orbs looking down at him with a warm smile to match. "Tessai get you fixed up?"

"Fixed up? You make me sound like a machine or something…"

She chuckled and glanced over her pupil carefully to check his injuries. Still come cuts that could use a scrubbing and then some bandages, but he'd be fine. She knew he had gone through worse in his time with the stealth force, but that's what made him who he was; an iron-will that never wavered in the midst of a fight.

"So how's Soifon doing?"

Yoruichi jumped a bit, not having expected him to ask anything. "Soifon? Well…" She sighed softly. "She feels guilty for what she did and she wouldn't tell me everything. So…"

"I'll need to talk with her?"

"You always were on the same page as me." She grinned.

"Don't remind me." He shuddered some and got a smack over the left shoulder for it. "Alright…and Tatsuki?"

"She'd doing better. Some girl talk we needed to have."

"Girl talk?" Kenshin arched a brow questionably at that. "You're capable of that?"

Yoruichi pinched Kenshin's nose then began to pull, causing him to wince and smack her hand away. "Don't get smart with me Kenshin. Remember what happened last time you did that?"

Unfortunately he did. When Yoruichi wanted to get serious and discipline, she could get serious and lay down some discipline. It certainly wasn't the sort of discipline he had become use to under Soifon, but it wasn't discipline he ever wanted to repeat. "So who should I go speak with first?"

"Go ahead and speak with Soifon. She'll help patch you up. After that you and Tatsuki can speak on your way home."

"On our way home?"

"Mmhmm." Yoruichi smirked slyly. That glimmer in her eye did nothing to make him feel comfortable.

Sitting up slowly, the captain of Fifth Division glanced to the small slotted window and watched the rain continue to fall outside. Why was it that his life seemed to change significantly every time it rained?

* * *

**And as promised, chapter 13 immediately around the corner!**

**Chapter 13: A Chance Beginning, Together  
**


	13. A Chance Beginning, Together

**And here it is! The final chapter of A Chance Meeting in the Rain  
**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 13: **** A Chance Beginning, Together**

* * *

"Hey…"

Soifon jumped somewhat but let out a sigh as she looked up to see Kenshin walk into the room. He closed the door behind him then moved to where she was sitting and flopped down, his back to her. "Lady Yoruichi said you were going to play nurse."

She nodded idly while soaking a rag and began to carefully work to scrub the dry blood from around the cuts and stabs she had made with her Suzumebachi. "I'm sorry… Kenshin-kun…"

He really hated these kinds of talks. It felt odd hearing this woman sound so…weak. He had seen her in a weaken state before and had comforted her, as best he could, the couple of times she had cried about Yoruichi's departure from the Soul Society. He knew she was very much a woman, but he mostly had known her as his mentor and his commander-in-chief.

With a sigh he reached up and stopped her hand on his left shoulder, taking it in his for a moment and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's fine, Soifon. I know why you did it and I can't blame you for it."

"It doesn't excuse my actions."

"Maybe, but I forgive your actions."

The two sat in an awkward silence with Soifon finishing cleaning up the wounds she had inflicted on the man who had been her personal guard and only friend for decades. She still felt such guilt for the things she said, things that really could never be taken back; but, she was doing what she could to apologize by treating the wounds she had inflicted.

"So why won't you tell her?"

"W-what?"

Kenshin closed his eyes and let out a grunt. "You lost her for a century and now that you have her back you're choosing to hide your feelings and deny the truth you so desperately want to tell her."

"I…can't."

"So you'd rather hurt inside and watch from afar then just swallow your pride and take a chance?"

Soifon knew he was right. He had learned more from Yoruichi then she had and just like the woman she longed for, Kenshin was insightful when he spoke. He always had been the quiet type, but when he spoke he often provided an entire explanation or story with just a few words.

"Kenshin-kun…"

"I think you owe it to yourself and more so to me after trying to kill me." He glanced back with a smirk. "Or are you still that kid I remember who couldn't form a sentence when Lady Yoruichi asked you something?"

She growled as she finished applying the bandages. She wanted to strike him for his smart ass remark, but she really couldn't do that after having tried to kill him an hour ago. "And if I refuse?"

"I tell her myself."

"W-what?"

He shrugged with a sly grin. "I'll just tell her myself; although," he moved to his feet, stretching a bit to loosen up, "I'll be sure to tell her in the manner in which you told me. Every…last…detail."

"No!"

Kenshin glanced back vacantly at Soifon who turned red. She looked away and rubbed at her arm, grumbling some. "I'll be asking her tomorrow what happened between you two, Lady Soifon." He waved over his shoulder while stepping out. "Goodnight."

"Night Kenshin-kun…" She waited until he was out of earshot and grumbled to herself, "idiot…"

* * *

Kenshin went back downstairs to fetch his zanpakutö before heading up to Yoruichi's room where Tatsuki was sitting in. He peaked in slowly and found her staring at his haori and the division number he commanded on the back.

What did they talk about? What had been asked and what had been told? Kenshin felt ashamed of himself for not having been honest with Tatsuki and told her just who he was. He had his reasons, but they were poorly constructed ones.

"So…" He stated with a minor cough.

She glanced up at him and offered a weak smile before moving to her feet. She stopped in front of him and looked down at the haori again before offering it to him. "So…you're a captain huh?"

Seems like Yoruichi told her a lot, possibly everything. Reluctantly he took the haori and unfolded it. Hooking a finger in the collar, he tossed it over his shoulder. "Yeah…Fifth Division."

She rocked a bit on her feet while shifting her gaze off to a corner. She felt happy to know that Kenshin and his mentor, Yoruichi, weren't a couple or anything. It had felt like someone had pulled a weight off of her shoulders when the beautiful, older woman told her that with a smile and sparkle in her golden eyes.

"_I won't lie, I love Kenshin, and I've loved him for a long time. Have I ever mused over such thoughts as dating him or bedding with him? Of course, it's just natural when you're around someone for so long without anything to restrain you, but I know it would never happen. I love Kenshin the way two close friends love one another and I would do anything to protect him just as I know he would for me."_

What was bugging Tatsuki was that Kenshin hadn't bothered to be honest with her about his memories having returned as suddenly as they did. Was he afraid to tell her, or ashamed? Maybe what Yoruichi had talked with her about was true…

"_I don't get why he lied to me about his amnesia…"_

_Yoruichi placed a hand gently on the younger girl's shoulder with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "It wasn't lying so much as…fear."_

"_Fear?"_

"_He was afraid you'd kick him out. He had come to enjoy being around you and didn't want to just give it up."_

_Tatsuki felt a smile take over her lips but at the same time she wasn't sure those words were true. "That's…just silly…"_

"_Let me ask you something. He smiles around you, doesn't he?"_

"_Well yeah, but-"_

"_Kenshin didn't smile around me until after a decade of having to deal with me as his commander. Even then it was the briefest of things and I never saw him smile again until a century later. You have to understand that he doesn't smile regularly until he truly feels comfortable around someone. If he did it around you in only days, then it means he likes you, a lot."_

"_W-what?" Tatsuki blushed._

"_Even more so since he never did look on humans too kindly. If he felt comfortable around you enough to smile so quickly, then he likes you. He's just too stubborn a man to outright say it."_

She wasn't sure how to respond to that but…was it true? "So…may I walk you home?"

Tatsuki looked up and smiled as she nodded. "Didn't want to stay over?"

Kenshin was caught off-guard by the question and found himself trying to scramble for a reply. "Well…ugh…yeah, I mean if you want me to still do so."

She simply chuckled and walked past him, hooking a finger into his kosode and tugged him along. "Hopefully you're division doesn't have to deal with you stuttering like that."

* * *

The walk back and been quiet for the two with little to no words exchanged. They each were lost in their own thoughts that unbeknownst to the other were about them.

Tatsuki would occasionally catch the man she now knew as a captain watching her from the corner of his eye, but each time she caught him he'd immediately look away; although, she swore she caught some color in his cheeks.

Once home Tatsuki took the time to deliver an excuse to her parents about an emergency involving a friend while Kenshin walked past, unseen, to her bedroom. As usual he propped his zanpakutö against the wall and removed his kosode and shitagi, folding them up and setting them at the end of the bed. He was glad his haori hadn't gotten too dirty. A minor wash and it'd be fine; he could get the tear taken care of later.

The door opened and he glanced over from the desk chair and smiled, seeing Tatsuki walk in. She closed the door behind her and moved up in front of the shinigami, staring down at him with a smile of her own. "So…"

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling much of the same awkward tension in the air between them. "So…"

She rubbed at her arm and glanced away, her cheeks reddening with a blush of embarrassment. Why couldn't she just stop being herself for a moment and be who she was inside? She liked this guy; she knew it now more then ever after her talk with Yoruichi.

"_But he's a shinigami and I'm human...even if he does like me, we can't actually date-"_

"_Why not?" Yoruichi asked while furrowing her brows. "Tatsuki, love transcends the boundaries of worlds. It's a universal feeling that is the same whether it is here in the world of the living or the spirit world. I know you're feeling confused right now, but you need to ask yourself one thing: what does your heart want?"_

She wanted him…He was the first guy that made her feel this way, that made her feel like a woman. He didn't just treat her like a girl though; he recognized and had shown his admiration and respect for her. He was just…perfect.

She stirred from her thoughts when Kenshin stood up. The two lingered for a moment, lost in the gaze of the other like a pair of school kids. As they stared at the other, lost in their thoughts and the eyes of each other Tatsuki reached out with her right hand, brushing it against Kenshin's left. Catching the hint, the captain took hold of her hand and let their fingers lace together. His right found its place around to the small of Tatsuki's back while her left slid up his chest.

Unbeknownst to Kenshin, this was the first kiss Tatsuki had ever experienced, so all the guidance was left on him. They started out subtly, brushing their lips together lightly; but as they felt more comfortable and brave with it, they each pressed more securely to the other.

She couldn't believe she was actually pushing up onto her toes. It was such a cliché thing from chick flicks, but it felt so right. The sensation that ran from her lips throughout her body was warm and felt like jolts of lightning were tingling from his lips and his hands. She pressed closer to him, her hand loosening from his own but finding a new place with her other hand around his neck and into his hair.

He didn't protest the slightest as his hands secured themselves around her slender waist, keeping her held to him. To think he truly could fall for a human, but…it hardly mattered anymore to him. This girl made him feel complete; and he had already learned once that love doesn't see _what_ people are, just who they are on the inside.

After what seemed like countless minutes, the two broke the kiss with a soft gasp. Tatsuki couldn't stop smiling as she buried her face against Kenshin's chest, enjoying the warmth she felt by being in his arms. "I do have class in the morning…"

He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah…and I need to check on reports with my vice-captain in the morning…"

The two broke from their embrace and Kenshin stepped out of the bedroom to let Tatsuki change. Once done she pulled him back in and slipped him a kiss before moving to her bed and snuggled in under the covers.

Kenshin flopped into the chair and did what he could to get comfortable, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Despite his body still feeling like it had gone through the ringer, despite the fact he knew he'd have a headache to deal with in getting the bit of damage he and Soifon caused to the neighborhood from their fight; everything was perfect for once in his life.

Tatsuki watched quietly in the dark as the man she gave her first kiss to settle as best he could into the chair. The sound of the falling rain outside drew her gaze toward the window and the faint moonlight shining through it. "Funny…I never really liked rainy days but now I have a reason."

Groaned lightly at the sound of Tatsuki's voice penetrating the haze threatening to drag him to his sleep, Kenshin opened an eye and glanced toward the bed. "Why's that?"

"Because I found you on a rainy day…" She blushed as she closed her eyes.

A faint smile played over the gruff looking captain's face, his eye drifting back shut to once again let sleep grab at him. "I can't say the same about getting injured and having temporary amnesia."

She chuckled, and as she closed her eyes with sleep starting to take hold of her, she whispered softly, "A chance meeting in the rain that turned into the greatest thing to happen to me…"

She had fallen for a guy, and it felt great.

* * *

**And there it is! The end of my first complete story! I thank all who favorited this, alerted this, and just flat-out read it. Every single person that took the time to read this gave me reason to keep this going**.

**To think this started as just a drabble of 3 chapters that got a major overhaul and turned into ten chapters overnight (and then further expanded into a full 13 chapters after I did some touch-ups and rewrites).**

**Again, thank you**

**And remember, the Fox is always Grinning**

**-Grinning Fox  
**


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